Fame and Shield
by BonesBoy15
Summary: The sword, a damaging weapon with little defense. The sword is powerful and old, recently outdated by the use of ranged weaponry. Older still is the shield, that which defends, protects the body from attacks and is used in counters. One who cherishes life will not bear a sword or gun. He uses a shield and his words. T for language. Marvel influence. ABANDONED
1. Trailer

**AN: This idea came to me, literally, at 2:13am, after I had a dream of shadows, Captain America and a pineapple. ...I don't remember why there was a pineapple, nor do I want to think about it, but anyway! I give you this new plot bunny, filled with RWBY, our favorite overpowered hero, and a smidge of Marvel influence.**

 **...Dammit, now I'm wondering what the hell that pineapple was in my dream for...**

* * *

 **Fame and Shield**

 **Captain Trailer**

* * *

Stanley's Diner was a quaint little place on the corner of Roost St. and Molar Ave. The diner had been active in the city of Vale for nearly fifty years and came to life sometime after the end of the Faunus Rights Revolution. The owner, Stanley Marvell, was a retired soldier of Vale and had fought in the Revolution. Any malice towards the other species that occupied Remnant had been abolished after the war, and Stanley quickly started to hire any and all Faunus who applied along with Humans who tolerated or did not mind the species. Needless to say, the latter was far less in amount than the former.

The controversy of the hiring staff fell out of the spotlight after Vale Councilman Gerald Shaw visited and declared the diner, quote, "the ideal example of Faunus and Human coexistence." Afterwards, more people became curious about the food and the atmosphere and soon it was a very famous location on Vale's map. In the past decade, however, just around the time the White Fang policies started to change, the diner started to lose its fame among the citizens, particularly most of the Human residents. Shortly after, poor Stanley Marvell died and left the diner to his head cook at the time, a young Faunus named Gene Taurus.

The change in ownership caused many longtime customers and a few employees to quit. The one saving grace of Stanley's Diner, the name kept in honor of the grandfatherly man that had started it, was the diner's location and history. These two factors had made it a 'must-visit' for tourists. Several famous people came to visit while they were in the city and would stop by time after time while they did so. A few notable actors, such as Spruce Willis and Sean Culinary, had stopped in, had a burger, and were seen coming back for more over the years. The fame was restored and Stanley's Diner pressed through to the present.

However, that didn't mean there weren't problems in the present.

"I said empty the register, ya filthy animal!" A man in a dark suit and white tie ordered as he waved a pistol at the nearly fifty-year-old manager-slash-owner. The man was young, his voice showed that, but his identity was concealed by a black ski mask.

Gene Taurus, the one being faced with the pistol, narrowed his brown eyes at the mildly racist slur thrown his way. As he cautiously opened the register to retrieve the lien, Gene wished he was not as old as he looked and his greyed bull-like tail flicked angrily behind him.

"That's a good old man, show me the goods and package them slowly." The thief encouraged with a smirk. Gene glared at him as he did what he was told. Had the young fool been alone, Gene would've gladly shown the condescending brat just why a bull Faunus was not to be angered.

Unfortunately, with the robber were three similarly dressed men. One had disappeared into the back to check the kitchen. Gene hoped that neither of his cooks did anything to provoke the man.

The second had Gene's waitress Nanny, a teenage Faunus girl with small goat-like horns on her head, seated at a nearby booth on the right of the diner with a shotgun aimed at her head. The poor thing let out nervous bleats as she tried to stifle her tears.

The last criminal, armed with an automatic weapon, walked around the diner and kept the rest of the few early morning customers seated and calm. He was scouting for Scrolls, the technological device that nearly everyone used for contacting someone, and anything of value. Auto One, Gene decided to name the masked men after the weapons they used, stopped when he came across a young man that had stumbled in a few minutes ago and asked for a pot of black coffee. Not a cup, an entire pot.

"I said get up, punk!" Auto ordered as he pointed his weapon at the young man seated near the back of the diner. The youth had short and neatly cropped blond hair, with the telltale signs of a golden fuzz on his cheeks. He wore a brown leather jacket with a star embellished on the shoulder of both arms over a white shirt with an dull orange star in the center of his chest. Jeans covered his legs from the waist down, almost tucked militaristically into his boots. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes, but Gene recalled how tired they looked.

"Look, pal, I am _really_ not in the mood, okay? I had a bad night, and all I want to do is sit and drink my coffee."

"Oh, I'm sorry, you had a bad night?" Auto mocked as he jabbed the blond in the head. "You're about to have a really bad fucking day! Get your ass up before I paint this _fine_ establishment with your brains!"

"God, I hate guns..." The blond mumbled sourly as he got up. He stood at nearly six feet and looked like he was built like a professional fighter. Once he was on his feet, Auto jabbed him in the head again and the blond scowled at him. "Don't touch me."

"I'll do whatever the fuck I want!" Auto jabbed the blond once more in the forehead. "And if I want to fucking poke you with my gun, kid, I _will_ fucking poke you! With! My! G-!"

The barrel that had jabbed into the blond's head with each word was stopped by the blond's hand. A fist blurred into Auto's throat and the would-be criminal crumpled to the ground with his hands around his neck as he tried to breathe.

"Hey! Don't move!" Pistol warned as Auto Two, the one in the kitchen, burst out with his gun aimed at the blond that held the weapon. The blond looked between the two men that aimed their weapons at him and held his hands up.

"Sorry, knee jerk reaction. Academy training, you know how it is," the blond said with a weak smile.

"I don't fucking care! You! Check on the idiot, and _you_!" Pistol pointed his gun from the second Auto, who moved to check on the downed and hacking criminal, to the blond. "You put that gun on the counter nice and slow, or I'll blow all of these people's fucking brains out!"

"No need to do anything rash. I'm putting it down, nice and slow," the blond said as he took cautious steps towards the counter and carefully put the automatic weapon down on it with one hand. Pistol watched as the blond had set the gun down and began to pull his hand away. The thief's gun moved back to Gene, who had watched the altercation, and he scowled.

"Who said you could stop packing, beast?" The hammer on his pistol cocked. "Get back to wo-!"

Pistol was cut off as the other Auto let out a sharp yell of pain after there was a loud and sickening crack. His gaze went back to the blond before his gun had, and his eyes widened when the butt of Auto's gun flew at high speeds into his face. As Pistol fell to the ground unconscious, the bullet was fired from the round and occupants of the diner screamed as they dropped to the ground.

"Charlie! Hey! Get on the fucking ground or I'm gonna blow her brains out!" The last thief, baring the shotgun at Nanny, shouted at the blond, who looked like he hadn't moved.

"All I wanted to do was drink my coffee." The blond sighed as he slowly took his sunglasses, which had somehow been broken after everyone's eyes had moved off of him. Two intense blue eyes stared at the thief. "I was more than willing to let this all happen without anyone getting hurt, then report the crime to the proper authorities."

"I said get on the fucking ground or her head explodes!" The shotgun-wielding criminal barked as he pumped his gun and aimed at Nanny, who burst into sobs. Shotgun looked back at Nanny with a sneer. "Bitch, shut the fuck up!"

Gene, who did not take his eyes off of the blue-eyed blond lad, watched the young man slam his fist down on the edge of one of the waitresses' large drink trays that had been set down near him. The disk flipped into the air and was plucked from it by the blond. The young man spun clockwise once before the tray left his hand like he was a discus thrower of Mistral.

The tray flew at Shotgun, but missed entirely as it flew over him when he ducked. Shotgun turned back to the blond and aimed his weapon at him. "You missed, bitch!"

The blond smirked. "I don't miss."

There were two sharp clangs as the drink tray ricocheted off of the diner walls and flew back into the back of the criminal's neck. It flipped into the air as Shotgun dropped to the ground, out cold while his gun slid away from him.

Gene watched with wide eyes as the blond caught the tray almost as though it were second nature. The young man walked over to Nanny and knelt at her side to console her before he turned to Gene.

"Go check on your employees and talk to the other customers. I'll get their weapons and tie them up." The young man stood and spoke with such authority that Gene wondered just _what_ academy he was talking about. "It's over now, and I know all of you are scared, but we cannot leave until the police arrive. Please, just bear with me while we await them and don't leave. You may be needed for testimony to ensure these _men_ –" The blond nudged Shotgun in the side and earned a groan. "–Don't ever do this again."

Gene was surprised to see the customers that had started to rise slowly sat down. He looked back at the blond and remembered what he was told to do. Before he could leave the counter, Auto, with the broken windpipe, stood up and pulled out a revolver of his own.

"Die, you sonovabitch!" The hoarse proclamation was accompanied by the sound of a gunshot. The drink tray stopped the bullet before it was whipped from the blond's grasp at the gun in Auto's hand. Auto let out a cry as his wrist was shattered, but was quickly silenced as the blond performed an amazing acrobatic maneuver over the counter to deliver a dropkick into Auto's chest. Auto flew back into the wall and crumpled on a table, that promptly collapsed under his weight and impact.

"Kid..." Gene felt the word escape his lips before he could stop it. The blond looked over at him with a curious gaze, undoubtedly wondering what the question he had was. Gene had many, but he decided to settle with the first and possibly the most important that came to mind. "Just who are you?"

"No one special." The blond let a small smile cross his face. "My name's Naruto. Naruto Ironwood."

* * *

 **AN: So it begins. Tell me your thoughts.**

 **Review!**


	2. Arrival

**Fame and Shield**

 **Arrival**

* * *

A grey haired man read through a file as he sat behind a desk, which was set in the middle of a room that was within a large clock tower. The room's window overlooked an academy that seemingly floated among the clouds. Beacon Academy, to be precise. A place that the man seated within the room had put years of effort into to make it more welcoming to all who came.

The man had a lean figure and dressed sharply in a dark suit with a forest green scarf around his neck. A specially crafted cane was set beside him and a mug of an unknown liquid was set nearby. He glanced up at the sound of a tone and arched a brow.

"You need not knock, I believe the message said to enter upon arrival." The man smiled wryly as the door cracked open slightly and Naruto walked in before he came to a stop parallel to the chair, standing at attention. The man looked up at the new entry and gestured to the seat across from him.

"This isn't your father's office, Mr. Ironwood. Have a seat. Would you like some tea?"

The teen flushed lightly as he relaxed and sat, though his posture did little to show his relaxed state. Realizing he'd yet to answer the question, Naruto shook his head. "Thank you, but no sir."

"You don't have to address me so formally, Mr. Ironwood." The man noted as he refilled his mug with a teakettle from below the desk.

"Forgive me, Professor Ozpin, but he speaks very highly of you and I feel the same way." Naruto apologized with an unsure smile. "Was there something you wanted to speak to me about?"

"You could say that," the man, Professor Ozpin, said with a smile as he closed the file in his hands and set it down. He folded his hands together and looked at the teen seated across from him. "I'm rather curious as to why you, son of Atlas' General and headmaster, would rather attend this school instead of your father's. Especially when the new school year begins in a few days? Was this a brash decision?"

"...Professor Ozpin, do I have permission to speak freely?"

"I would certainly hope so." Ozpin countered good-naturedly. When the boy continued to stare at him, Ozpin sighed softly and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Ironwood, you may speak freely."

"Thank you, sir." Naruto visibly relaxed more than he already had, his shoulders slumping. "I, sir, I've been living with my father for seventeen years of my life. I've never...well, I've tried not to disappoint him. I can't say if I ever have. I enrolled in the military at the youngest age possible–"

"Yes, I am familiar with the loophole you found when you entered Basic Training at age twelve," Ozpin said with a mildly forced smile. He recalled the frantic call that he received the day the news broadcasted the event across the world. It was certainly the first time in a long time that Atlas seemed more like a threat than it had been before, and certainly the first time in an equally long time that James had been so unsure of what action to take. Ozpin pushed the thoughts away and gestured to the young man again. "I'm sorry. Please, continue."

"It's alright, sir." Naruto waved off the interruption. "But, even after I graduated from the officer's academy, he wouldn't...he wouldn't treat me like a soldier. He kept treating me like his son. I couldn't go to his school."

"I figured as much." Ozpin smiled lightly. And the general called _him_ soft? Glynda was greatly going to enjoy this. Neither of them thought that James Ironwood, General of the Atlesian army, could ever coddle anyone. He did not show favor to any of his subordinates, nor did he favor any students, and up until this point, it was believed he didn't even favor his own son. Ozpin didn't want to admit it, but even _he_ had thought James was far too set in his ways to show any such favor to the child.

It would seem that, not for the first time, Ozpin was wrong. However, it was the first time that Ozpin had even been glad such a thought was disproven. Who knew that "Heartless" Ironwood had a heart?

"In that case, I would like to cordially welcome you, Captain Naruto Ironwood, to Beacon Academy."

Naruto stared at him for a moment. "...T-That's all?"

"I told you I merely had one inquiry." Ozpin smiled at the blond before he sat back and lifted his file back up. As he began to read the notes made by another, Ozpin continued to speak to the dumbfounded blond. "I'm sure that the airships for the other students will arrive soon. Why not go and make new friends?"

"...Th-thank you, sir." Naruto mumbled, still in slight shock as he stood up and walked out of the room. The door closed and Ozpin reached over to press down on a button near his tea mug.

"Well, James, does that satisfy your curiosity?" Ozpin asked in mild amusement as the holographic form of the well-dressed general flickered to life in front of him. The general gave Ozpin a mild frown as the man sipped his tea from his mug.

" _...You still sent him your academy's admission papers, Oz._ "

"Quite, but as I said before, I had not expected them to be filled out and accepted so quickly. Nor had I expected him to be in Vale so soon." Ozpin looked at the general as he set his tea down. "Did something happen recently between you two?"

" _Let me just say that some of my former colleagues are in a_ lot _of trouble_ ," James Ironwood said lowly with a frown.

The hologram flickered and cut out, leaving Ozpin alone within his office.

 _First the daughter of Summer Rose accepts my invitation and now the son of James Ironwood..._ Ozpin mused as he turned the page of the file in his hands. He smiled lightly. _What an interesting year this will turn out to be._

* * *

"This is going to be – Whoa, watch it!" Ruby Rose cried out as someone nearly knocked her to the ground as they rushed past. Her silver eyes cringed and she shook her head, causing her short black and red tinted hair to dance lightly, as the boy that nearly knocked her over doubled over a garbage. Ruby was a girl of average height for her age of fifteen, so knocking her over for something like that was pretty simple. Her battle dress, stockings and boots were black with the secondary color being red, while her prominent hooded cloak was primarily red.

"If you got puke on me again, pal, I'm going to shove that garbage can into your ass!" A girl with long untamed blonde hair and lilac eyes called over her shoulder to the rude guy currently emptying his stomach into the bin. The blonde haired girl wore an orange scarf around her neck, a tan vest over a low cut yellow crop top with a burning heart crest that revealed her impressive cleavage, biker shorts underneath a brown belted asymmetrical pleated skirt. Fingerless black gloves covered her hands while mechanic bracelets were around her wrists and knee high boots with orange socks of mismatched lengths between her skin and the leather.

The buxom blonde girl was Yang Xiao-Long, Ruby's elder sister. Er, half-sister by technicality, but who cared about things like that? Ruby and Yang certainly didn't.

Yang crossed her arms and huffed. "That guy needs to get ahold of his eating disorder. That's disgusting."

"I don't think it's a disorder, Yang." Ruby giggled lightly at the older girl. Something gleamed in the distance and it caught Ruby's silver eyes. She gasped and stopped. Her finger shot out. "Yang! Yang! Look! That guy has a javelin constructed around a thirty-caliber barrel! I wonder if he used a bolt or clip...Oh! That girl has fire dust bullets in her pocket!"

"It's talking that way that makes you a bit of a weirdo, Ruby." Yang chided her sister with a grin. Yang gestured to the people walking across campus or towards the main building. "You have to focus less on the toys and more on the boys!"

"...But boys aren't as interesting."

"And this is why Dad worries about you, Ruby. Uncle Qrow has had way too much of an influence on you."

"How is that bad?" Ruby blinked innocently.

Yang palmed her face and sighed. "Never mind." She gave the younger girl a determined grin and pumped her fist. "What you need to do is go out there and make some friends! Show them how awesome Ruby Rose can be!"

"Friends...right..." Ruby mumbled as she rubbed her arm awkwardly. She gave a hopeful smile to her older sister. "And you'll be there every step of the way, right?"

"About that..." Yang smiled sheepishly as her lilac eyes drifted to the side. "I'll be there with you...in-spirit-because-I-promised-my-friends-we'd-go-explore-the-school-so-we'll-meet-up-later-have-fun-okay-bye!"

Ruby was spun rapidly in place during Yang's speech as a herd of other teens around her sister's age rushed past her. "What? But? Yang? Where? Cookies?"

The red-hooded girl slumped to the ground while her head spun. Unfortunately, she was in the path of a large dolly filled with white boxes and suitcases. The collision had hardly hurt, thank you Aura shielding, but the confrontation with the Schnee heiress and a mysterious girl, who left as quickly as she came, afterwards led to an explosion.

That explosion, by the way, was so not Ruby's fault at all! Stupid Dust sensitivity.

"Eh-he-he...sorry?" Ruby apologized to the smoke and Dust covered Weiss Schnee.

"...I'm leaving. Do not speak to me." Weiss turned on a dime and stormed off while Ruby hung her head in shame.

"Way to go, Ruby. Making friends...all around," Ruby said with a sigh. She looked up as a hand appeared in front of her.

"You look like you could use a hand." The owner of the appendage gave her a small smile.

Ruby quickly gave him a once over. He was a tall teen, nearing six feet at least, with short blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a brown leather jacket that had two white stars on either shoulder over a blue shirt with what she assumed to be a silver star, and over the leather was a silver belt with pouches that went around his waist and over his left shoulder. His left arm had a silver bracer on it, with a white star in the dead center of his forearm. Grey cargos tucked into dark navy blue puttees that passed over grey, nearly silver, boots.

Ruby thought he looked like an old Atlas soldier from the history films, but with a brown jacket instead of silver.

Realizing she hadn't yet taken him up on his offer, Ruby flushed lightly and gave him a weak smile. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Not a problem, miss." The teen nodded as he hefted her to her feet. He gave her a grin once their hands released and pointed at his chest with his thumb. "Name's Naruto. Nice to meet you."

"Ruby. Ruby Rose." Ruby introduced herself with a small smile.

Naruto looked towards where Weiss' things had fallen, thankfully picked up by the help Weiss had brought with her, and tisked. "You know, I'd have thought that a Schnee would know better than to shake a vial of Dust around like that."

Ruby beamed. Yes! Someone on her side. "Right? I said I was sorry, too!"

"Well, maybe she's having an off morning." Naruto shrugged. "I doubt it can be easy dealing with all the newscasts and controversy around her family."

"...Controversy?" Ruby asked. She furrowed her brow and then her face lit up as she recalled what the girl in black had said. "Oh, the whole Faunus thing, right? And the shady businesses."

Naruto frowned momentarily before he nodded. "Yeah, shady...Well, enough about politics. You're a first year, right?"

"Yep!" Ruby chimed happily as they started to walk towards the main campus of Beacon. Her expression fell a bit. "I mean, I guess...I don't know if I'm ready for it, though."

"Well, Professor Ozpin wouldn't have accepted your application if you weren't," Naruto said. He looked down at the girl and noticed her frown. "Or...did you sneak in?"

"Huh? No! No-no-no, nothing like that. See, I was in a Dust shop one night minding my own business..." Ruby began to tell the story of how she nearly stopped Roman Torchwick, the most wanted criminal in all of Vale. She slipped in several exaggerated reenactments of her 'kung fu' attacks, which brought a laugh from her new companion's lips. Ruby's story carried on for several minutes while they walked around a building.

"Well, that's impressive." Naruto said with a chuckle. "No wonder Professor Ozpin had invited you to Beacon. Any headmaster would've done the same after that kind of display."

Ruby blushed lightly. "You think so?"

"I know so." He nodded with his small smile still intact. A quaint and peaceful silence overcame them.

Unable to handle the silence, Ruby pulled out her weapon and expanded it to its true form. Easily twice Ruby's height, the high-caliber sniper-scythe's blade slammed into the concrete ground due to its weight. The scythe has the same color scheme as Ruby does, red and black. "So...I've got this."

"...Hate to be a Grimm." Naruto muttered as he stared at the scythe.

Ruby grinned sheepishly as she met Naruto's gaze. "Yeah, Crescent Rose gets that a lot. She's my pride and joy, but when I made her I kind of went overboard."

"You _made_ tha-er, her?"

Ruby beamed proudly and hugged her creation tightly. "Yep! Back at Signal, everyone is required to make their weapon in the first year. My uncle helped with the basic design when he let me look at his variant."

"I see..." Naruto mused while he looked Crescent Rose over.

"Yeah, the trickiest part was deciding how long I wanted the barrel to be in rifle mode," Ruby said before she stopped herself before she went into total weapon nerd mode. She gave Naruto a nervous chuckle. "So...What do you have?"

Naruto looked down at his left arm and jostled it. The bracer unfolded out into a circular silver and blue shield. Ruby waited for him to draw a sword or gun or something from the weapon, but nothing else came.

"Is-?"

"This it?" Naruto finished with a wry grin. Ruby flushed and he chuckled. "Yeah, this is it. Libertas Steel. Nothing special, but...she does her duty."

"...And you don't have an offensive weapon?" Ruby asked nervously. She really didn't want to offend her friend, but, most with shields also have swords or spears.

Naruto arched a brow. "A shield isn't offensive?"

"Well, no, but, I mean...Grimm have claws, armor and all sorts of things..." Ruby mumbled nervously.

"Indeed they do." Naruto agreed with a smile. He looked around for a moment before he spotted a nearby lamppost. He nodded. "That should work."

"What should work?" Ruby asked as she tried to follow his gaze.

"Just watch," Naruto said as he took a few steps away from her. Ruby looked back at him just as he began to bring his arm back. Naruto narrowed his eyes and his smile spread slightly before his arm flung forward and the shield flew off. Ruby followed Libertas Steel as it flew at a high speed towards the lamp post.

The shield bounced off the post and ricocheted off the wall of a building. Then it rebounded off another lamppost in the distance, nearly ten feet from the first and three times that from the building, before it flew back to the first lamppost. The shield sliced through the hanging light and flew back at them. Naruto caught Libertas Steel in his right hand before he clipped it back on his left arm. The light rocked for a moment before it fell to the ground and shattered.

"...Whoa. That. Was. Awesome!" Ruby gushed. She looked at the shield with newfound awe. "It _is_ a ranged weapon!"

"Ranged, defensive _and_ offensive," Naruto said with a fond smile aimed at the shield on his arm. Ruby collapsed her scythe and looked at it curiously before she looked at Naruto.

"...Can I hold it?"

"I don't see why not," Naruto said with a shrug. Libertas Steel was unclipped from his left arm and he held it out to Ruby. The red-themed girl took the weapon carefully, as though it were a relic.

"It's so light..." Ruby fawned over the circular weapon. "Lighter than Crescent Rose, that's for sure. But how'd it withstand all those ricochets?"

"It's a blend of rare metals found in the Atlas mines," Naruto said as he flicked the rim of the shield. "Unlike most metals, it absorbs kinesthetic energy."

He plucked the weapon from Ruby's hands and then quickly flung it at a nearby concrete post that lined the walkway. The shield was imbedded in the post nearly halfway, stopped by the metal base within.

"But, it's also very deadly when necessary." Naruto finished as he walked over to Libertas Steel and pulled it from the post. He looked back at Ruby with a grin. "I think I'll be safe, don't you?"

"...Yeah...Simple, but elegant." Ruby beamed at him. She furrowed her brow. "How come it didn't bounce off the post that time?"

"That, Ruby Rose, is a lesson for another time." Naruto clipped Libertas Steel onto his left arm, where it collapsed into the bracer it was before. He turned and began to walk towards the auditorium. "There's an introduction speech I think we should be present for."

"What? When? Where!?"

"A speech, in about five minutes, and this way." Naruto pointed in the direction of the auditorium. Ruby raced past him as soon as he finished, a look of panic on her face.

"Oh no, we're going to be late!"

Naruto chuckled as he leisurely followed the excitable fifteen-year-old. "I don't think so."

* * *

"Yes! Made it with time to spare!" Ruby cheered as she burst into the auditorium.

"I told you we wouldn't be late," Naruto said as he smiled at the shorter girl. He stood with great posture and stepped out of the way as a girl with pink hair and a silver left arm walked by him. He arched a brow at the sight, but was pulled from his thoughts when Ruby _literally_ pulled his arm.

"C'mon, my sister saved us a spot."

"I can walk on my own, Ruby." Naruto chuckled as the shorter girl pulled him through the crowd. They made it to Yang, whose eyes brightened at the sight of Ruby, but sparkled when they landed on Naruto.

"Wow, Ruby, when I said make a friend, I expected someone like the Puke Boy or a girl." Yang mused with a smile as her eyes washed over Naruto's body. "Didn't see you aiming for the tall, blond and handsome type."

"I-That's beside the point! You ditched me!" Ruby accused quickly with a frown aimed at her sister. "And since then, it's been nothing but yelling and explosions and-"

"I don't recall blowing you up." Naruto added wryly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Or yelling at you, for that matter."

"Okay, well, it wasn't anything but yelling and blowing up until I met Naruto." Ruby amended with an apologetic smile aimed at her new friend. She leveled a glare back at Yang.

"Usually that comes after you meet a guy like him," Yang said with a smirk.

Ruby and Naruto stared at her blankly before they both chimed. "I don't get it."

Yang blinked. "Ruby, I understand, you...not at all."

"The feeling is mutual." Naruto shrugged. Most girls he dealt with were either focused on rising in the ranks, doing their duty, or acted just plain _weird_ around him. Ruby was pretty much the only _normal_ girl he's met thus far, but her sister was slowly falling into the third category with all the strange looks she's giving him and the odd joke she gave.

"We could always fix that," Yang said slyly. Her lips spread into a smile. "I've been waiting for a guy like you for Xiao-Long."

"...Oh, because its your name and-I get it." Naruto nodded with a chuckle. His chuckle died down and he frowned. "Wait, no I don't."

"Yang, focus," Ruby said with a small frown aimed at her bewildered and stumped older sister. "I'm mad at you."

"What? Why?" Yang asked with genuine confusion. "I left you alone and you ran into possibly the best person you could've."

"You ditched me!"

"And you found him!"

"That doesn't mean anything!"

Naruto's head bounced back and forth between the two sisters as they started to bicker before he turned to someone beside him as they scoffed in annoyance.

A young man about his age but an inch or so shorter watched the interaction with annoyance. He had darker skin and cat-like eyes that widened when they looked at Naruto's face. Naruto caught movement out of the corner of his eyes and looked up to see two black cat-like ears above the boy's wild brown hair. The boy had a golden necklace with golden medallion of a cat head hanging from it, a black leather jacket on that was partially unzipped to reveal a netting-like undershirt, dark combat pants and what looked like toe-less military boots. His finger and toe nails were almost claw like.

"I-Ironwood." He mumbled.

"Yes?" Naruto asked curiously as he arched a brow. "What's up?"

"...Nothing, I just...figured you would be at Atlas." The Faunus shook his head and offered his hand. "Kiba Black. Sorry, but, news about what you did at Stanley's yesterday spread fast."

Naruto smiled and took the teen's hand in his own. "It's a pleasure. Naruto Ironwood."

"Yeah, I already knew that." Kiba chuckled lowly as he took his hand back. "Sorry if I seem awed, but I've not...ever really seen a Human so willing to step up for Faunus."

"That's wrong." Naruto shook his head. "Faunus, Human, it doesn't matter to me. We're all sentient, we all learn, feel, and grow around the same pace. We should all be free."

"I wish more Humans could see it that way." Kiba looked back at the squabbling siblings and winced when he spotted a newcomer approaching them. "Hey, I'm gonna slip away. But, if you want to meet up and talk later, I'm all for it."

"Always nice to have a new friend," Naruto said with a smile as he watched Kiba back into the crowd and disappear. "Hm, nice guy. I wonder why he-?"

"You!"

"Oh no, it's happening again!"

"I should've guessed it was you that was making so much noise!"

Naruto turned back to see Ruby in her sister's arms while the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company glared at her. He arched a brow lightly and laughed when Yang spoke.

"You really _did_ blow up."

Weiss scowled at the two and then glared at the one who laughed. Her glare fell into a look of shock and her face blossomed into a bright crimson red.

"N-N-Naruto I-Ironwood?" She squeaked. Weiss sent a glare to Ruby, once more on her own feet, and hissed at her. "You knew Naruto Ironwood was behind me and didn't say anything!?"

"Naruto who-now?" Ruby and Yang asked, both equally confused.

"Him!" Weiss pointed at Naruto, who waved at them with a small smile. "Son of the Atlesian General James Ironwood? He graduated with full honors from the Officer's Academy of Atlas at age thirteen and became the youngest enlisted officer in the Atlesian Armed Forces in the same year! Then he reached the rank of captain at age _fifteen_ and has stopped no less than fifteen White Fang terrorist acts in the past _two_ years. Last week he had effortlessly put down a White Fang plot to bomb and derail one of the Schnee Dust Company's transit trains." Weiss gave the modest blond a shy glance before she looked away. "...And he's been voted the Hottest Boy Alive in Atlas Teen Magazine...according to one of my friends!"

Yang arched a brow in disbelief. "Right..."

"...Who are you talking about?" Ruby asked, her head spun from the spew of information that was just dumped on her.

"She's talking about me, Ruby," Naruto said with an amused chuckle. It would appear that Weiss Schnee would also fall into the 'weird' category of girls he's met. He only did that cover shoot because he was dared to by his friend Ten-Ten Dugan.

Needless to say, Ten-Ten was another girl that fell under the 'weird' category, but that was attributed for her near obscene love of weapons. Like Ruby, Ten-Ten appreciated the construction and development of a Huntsman or Huntress' weapons, but unlike Ruby, Ten-Ten was sexually attracted to the inanimate objects. Yeah...weird.

"Ohh..." Ruby nodded. "Got it." She blinked and frowned at her new friend. "Wait, you're a captain?"

Naruto smiled at her as he was torn from his thoughts. "That's what they tell me."

"And Hottest Boy Alive. Quite the pedigree," Yang said as she crossed her arms under her bust. She frowned slightly when she realized that Naruto's eyes didn't drift in the slightest. How was she supposed to tease him if he didn't look? Better question, how the hell was he not looking?

 _Don't look at Yang's boobs. Don't look at Yang's boobs. Don't look at Yang's boobs._ The mantra repeated in Naruto's head while he kept his hormones at bay. He was still a seventeen – nearly eighteen – year old teenager, despite how much older and taller he appeared. That was at the fault of his semblance, which activated while he was still in Boot.

"Y-Yes, very impressive, so, uh, forgive me for acting in such a way?" Weiss apologized – at least, Naruto thought it was supposed to be an apology – to him.

Naruto nodded with a small smile. "Of course, Ms. Schnee. But, I believe Ruby also deserves an apology."

"Wh-what?" Weiss gaped while Ruby stuck her tongue out victoriously at the white-themed girl.

"Well, she was already sorry for getting in your way and had tried to apologize before you began to shake the Dust in your hand. The stray particles drifted up into Ruby's nose and she reacted in a way that was bound to happen," Naruto said with a shrug. "In a way, that explosion was more-so your fault than it was hers, since you should've known better. So, yelling at her about something that was both of your faults is kind of inconsiderate and mean."

Weiss blinked once, twice, and a third time while she contemplated his words. With a reluctant sigh and a small frown on her face, Weiss turned to Ruby.

"Fine. I'm sorry I yelled at you...But that doesn't make us friends!" She added quickly.

"It's okay, I'm really sorry that I knocked your stuff down." Ruby apologized again. She poked her fingers together. "Are you sure you don't want to be friends?"

" _Very_." Weiss huffed.

Ruby opened her mouth to say more, but cut herself off when Glynda Goodwitch's voice came through the microphone. Eyes went to the stage and Naruto smiled slightly as his gaze landed on the headmaster. The introduction speech was brief as Ozpin said it would be, and the headmaster left the stage as soon as he appeared on it. The children were then told to return to the ballroom to rest for the initiation the next day.

* * *

 **AN: Yes, you read right. Kiba is cat-based instead of dog, like the Road to Ninja illusion world Kiba, but not as intense in his love for cats, obviously. He's also partially based off of T'Challa aka The Black Panther, another Avenger – who is bound to have a film or short soon, rumors say.**

 **But, all that aside, tell me your thoughts!**

 **REVIEW!**


	3. Sleepover

**Fame and Shield**

 **Sleepover**

* * *

Jaune Arc sighed and hung his head as he sat alone on the far side of the wall of the ballroom. Since he stepped off of the airship he'd not made a single friend, most people had already paired off at that point. Some other blond guy had helped up the cute girl he nearly knocked over, so his plan to kill two birds with one stone – i.e., apologize and befriend – fell short.

 _Making friends was supposed to be the easy part,_ Jaune thought to himself wryly. Jaune wasn't a bad looking guy. According to mother and his sisters, he was pretty well defined, but they could've just been trying to help his self esteem. He was kind of tall, which he thought was a good thing. He had short blond hair and blue eyes, but maybe girls weren't into the whole hastily thrown together combat outfit. Jeans and an armored sweatshirt may not have been his best choice in that area, but he'd woken up late and...Who was he kidding? Excuses were pointless now.

"Man, all I wanted to do was go to Beacon and be a Huntsman." Jaune dropped his head into his arms as he sat on his sleeping bag.

"Need some company?"

Jaune looked up and saw the other blond guy from before standing over him. A navy blue duffle bag with a silver star on the side hung over the round mass of muscle that was his shoulder.

Any hope of his good looks gaining the eyes of girls had dashed as soon as Jaune laid his eyes on his fellow blond. The guy was big, but not too overly muscled. He was well proportioned, well defined – a part of Jaune envied the guy for his looks, and another part hated him for the same reason. His navy pajamas were loose, but the white t-shirt with an orange star on it clung to his chest like a second skin.

"Uh, a-are you talking to me?" Jaune asked after a minute.

"Yep." The taller blond nodded.

"Oh, uh, sure, well, I mean, why not?" Jaune trailed off awkwardly. The duffle bag dropped with a loud thump and the other blond turned to wave towards the door.

"Over here, Kiba! Got some space for your bag, too!"

Jaune looked away. Figures, even the blond guy had a friend other than the cute girl he met. And now a lot more girls were staring at the blond than before. That's a real boost to Jaune's self-esteem.

"So, what's your name?"

Jaune looked back at the other blond. "What?"

"I said my name was Naruto Ironwood and asked what your name was. You alright? You sort of spaced out..." Naruto trailed off in slight concern as he sat down on the ballroom floor next to Jaune. Before Jaune could respond, another boy came up.

"Ironwood, you gotta stop yelling my name, man. I'll find you even-oh. Hey," the new boy said with a small wave. He was built more like Jaune, lean and slightly muscled, a healthy teen's body. Not like Naruto...geez, the guy was _big_.

"Hi." Jaune gave a wave back. He took notice of the ears on the teen's head. "Oh, cool. You're a Faunus, right?"

"...Nope, just a cat fanboy that loves to dress up."

"Really?" Jaune furrowed his brows. "That's weird."

"...Says the one wearing footie pajamas."

"One, this was a gift from my mom," Jaune said, slightly offended. He loved his footie pajamas and bunny slippers, despite the less than stellar hit they were with the ladies. They were warm, and Beacon was _cold_.

The other teen palmed his face as he dropped his bag on the ground. "That's not something you want to admit, man."

"And two, at least I don't dress up like a cat!" Jaune finished despite the interjection.

"I was being sarcastic!"

"...So you _are_ a Faunus?"

"By god, how the hell did you get accepted into Beacon?"

"Alright, I think that's enough, Kiba," Naruto said to the Cat Faunus. Kiba, as he was named, sat down and unrolled his sleeping bag with grumbles while Naruto turned to his new friend. "Sorry about him, he's really defensive about his status as a Faunus."

Jaune blinked and frowned. "Why?"

"Because, kid, most Humans don't like Faunus." Kiba shot with a frown. "You're the first who's not able to recognize one, and I don't know whether to be insulted or not."

Jaune winced. "Sorry, I asked a girl earlier if she was one, because I thought I saw her black bow twitch."

Kiba arched a brow. "'Black bow twitched?"

"Yeah, it-Her!" Jaune pointed over at a girl on the other side of the room with a book in her hand. A candelabra was seated beside her, but it was not lit. The sun's dwindling light still allowed for some reading to be done, it seemed.

Kiba and Naruto followed his finger. The cat Faunus scowled as he saw the girl. "Oh, _her_. Yeah, she's a Faunus. She's a coward, too."

"Huh, why do you say that?" Jaune asked.

"She's hiding who she is." Naruto mumbled as he furrowed his brows together. He looked like he was trying to place the girl somewhere.

"What? Why would she do that?" Jaune asked.

"Geez, man, did you grow up on a farm or something?"

"Yep!"

Kiba blinked at the proud proclamation that left Jaune's lips. He looked at Naruto, then Jaune, and then shook his head.

"You Humans are freaking weird. I'll never understand you," he said with chuckle. He looked back at Jaune. "Forget about her, let's just start again. I'm Kiba Black, this is Naruto Ironwood."

"Hello again." Naruto gave a quick wave as he was introduced.

Jaune swelled up with pride as he grinned back. He was making friends. Yes! Wait, there was something he needed to do...Oh, right! Name.

"Name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, and the ladies love it." Jaune smoothly introduced himself.

"Oh, I'll bet they do." Kiba nodded and then shook his head as he chuckled again. "Don't introduce yourself like that."

"Ah, c'mon, that's a good one! I was going to go 'Arc, Jaune Arc,' but..." Jaune trailed off.

"I would've slapped you if you dared to massacre the Sean Culinary line like that." Kiba deadpanned. He held a hand up and showed off his claws. "And it would hurt."

Jaune chuckled nervously. "Right, right...So...where are you guys from?"

"Vacuo born and proud of it," Kiba said with a grin. He flicked his necklace. "Next in line to lead my clan settled outside a main city. We do major trade with some of the cities, but studies over there aren't the best, so my Mom says."

"That and your sister is in her fourth year here, right?" Naruto asked.

Kiba soured and glared at him. "Yes. Fair warning, if either of you hit on her, I _will_ cut your balls off _and_ stuff them down your throat."

Jaune gulped while Naruto frowned.

"Why would I hit her outside of a spar?" Naruto asked.

"Dude, I told you to stop joking like that."

"B-But I'm not joking!"

"It's not funny, Ironwood."

"Kiba, I'm not!"

"Whatever." Kiba looked at Jaune and nodded his head at the frowning Naruto. "Can you believe this guy? Trying to play the innocent card, especially with all the girls he's probably got waiting for him back in Atlas."

"Atlas?" Jaune asked.

Kiba stared at Jaune oddly. "...Okay, seriously, stop joking."

"Why would I be joking?" Jaune asked, genuinely confused. He looked at Naruto. "You're from Atlas? But, don't they have a school there?"

"They do, but I needed to...get away from my father." Naruto laid back on the ground and let his head rest on his duffle bag.

"Oh, gotcha." Jaune nodded even though he really didn't.

"No, no, no, no. Back up. Jaune, do you really not know who he is?" Kiba asked as he drew Jaune's attention from Naruto.

"Of course I know who he is. He's Naruto Ironwood. He just introduced himself to me," Jaune said slowly before he leaned over and whispered to Naruto. "I don't think Kiba is quick on the uptake. Maybe he's got short term memory problems."

"I can hear you whisper, Arc." Kiba growled at the surprised blond. He palmed his face. "Geez, Ironwood, how are you _not_ recognized? I don't get it!"

"I dunno, and frankly I don't care," Naruto said with a relieved smile on his face. "Gets me out of the shadow and spotlight."

"You deserve the spotlight," Kiba said firmly. "More Humans need to see how someone should treat Faunus, and maybe then the White Fang will back off."

"Maybe, but hatred is like a poison, Kiba. It spreads quickly and is treated slowly. My 'fame' won't help at all," Naruto said with finger quotes on the word fame.

"You're famous?" Jaune asked. "What are you, an athlete or something?"

Kiba palmed his face while Naruto chuckled.

"I'll tell you about it in the morning, Jaune. Let's try and get some sleep," Naruto said as he closed his eyes and yawned. "Man, I hope they brew coffee tomorrow."

"Well, that's one thing we agree on. Nice meeting you, Arc. Night, Ironwood."

"Good night, Kiba. Good night, Jaune."

"Night guys," Jaune said with a small smile as he started to get into his sleeping bag. He hastily got out and hopped to his feet before he rushed towards the bathroom. There was no way he was going to chance anything happening after he made a few guy friends.

* * *

"I love this! It's like a giant slumber party!" Yang cheered quietly as she fell onto her sleeping bag beside her sister. She had changed from her revealing outfit into some more sleep appropriate shorts and a tank top.

Ruby, now dressed in black and red pajamas with a night mask on her head, didn't bother to look up from her writing in her notebook. "Don't think Dad would like all the boys here, though."

"I know I do." Yang purred as she ogled some of the boys that were 'preparing' for bed by showing off. Free shows were always a plus in her book. She looked back at Ruby with an arched brow. "So where'd tall, blond and handsome run off to?"

"Naruto said he was going to meet up with a friend he made earlier," Ruby said as she paused to scan the boys' side of the hall. "Huh, where – oh, hey, there's puke boy. Almost didn't recognize him without a green face."

"Oh, geez, I almost feel bad for threatening him." Yang grimaced as she watched the boy who had puked walk by in footie pajamas. "That's payback enough in itself."

"I doubt he _wanted_ to puke, either." Ruby added. She blinked when the boy plopped tripped over his neighbor and a familiar blond sat up to check on him. "Oh, there's Naruto."

"Mm-hm." Yang grinned as her eyelids drooped while she leered at the blond. "Momma likes. Maybe we should go get a closer look? You could write letters to all of your friends in explicit detail."

A pillow flew into Yang's face. Ruby rolled her eyes and went back to writing in her notebook. "I don't see why they'd care. Naruto's just a boy."

"What he _is_ , is _not_ just a boy, Ruby. The sooner you realize that, the better chances at happiness you'll have," Yang said with her 'flawless' older sister wisdom as she tossed the pillow back at her sister. She hummed and gave her little sister a look. "You are telling them you've made a friend, right?"

"Yeah, duh." Ruby drawled before she paused and frowned. "But I also met Weiss. I think that's one negative friend. So, back to zero."

"There's no such thing as a negative friend, Ruby," Yang said with a grin. "You've just made one friend and one enemy. But maybe we should count Naruto as _two_ friends."

"Why?" Ruby asked, looking up from her notebook with a frown on her face.

"Ugh, you're hopeless, Ruby. Absolutely hopeless."

The pillow smacked Yang in the face once again. Ruby stuck her tongue out at her sister's snickering form and looked over to the side when a light flickered. She stared at a girl with amber eyes and long black hair dressed in a black yukata with a bow on her head. A book was in the girl's hands and she seemed to be very interested in it.

"What're you staring at?" Yang asked as she pushed the pillow to the side and noticed Ruby's gaze elsewhere. Following the younger girl's eyes, she arched a brow and, not for the first time, wondered if Ruby was into girls. She didn't care, she was fine with all sexualities, and no matter what Ruby's was, Yang would still love her little sister. But _damn_ did not knowing make it hard for Yang to give specific advice.

"That's the same girl from before..." Ruby mumbled.

"Wait, you met someone else other than White Yeller and T.B.H.?"

Ruby looked back at Yang. "T.B.H.?"

"Tall, Blond and Handsome," Yang said as she stared at the new girl. She hopped to her feet and grabbed Ruby's arm. "C'mon, tell me about it later."

"Wait, what? Yang!" Ruby protested with a hiss as her older sister pulled her towards the other girl. Ruby flushed bright red when Yang pushed her forward. Stupid Yang and her stupid embarrassing actions, she sucked at talking to people! Especially new people!

"Say something." Yang urged softly as she nudged Ruby.

"You say something, this was your idea." Ruby hissed as she nudged Yang back.

"You were staring at her." Yang elbowed her sister.

"You _dragged_ me into this." Ruby smacked Yang's arm.

"Cripes, _I'll_ say something if it'll get you two to shut up!" A girl with long brown hair snapped as she shot up from her purple sleeping bag beside them. The violet mask over her eyes was pushed up and pale, pearl-like orbs glared at the two sisters. The new girl was about an inch or so shorter than Ruby, but carried herself like she was full of attitude. She wore an oversized purple sweater with the words 'Ace Shot' written across her chest in black. The girl in purple looked down at the reading girl and kicked her leg gently. The action earned her an irritated glare, but the petite girl paid it no mind.

"These two want to talk to you, but don't know how. Please talk to them so that I can get some sleep." The girl growled. She glared back at Yang and Ruby, and then pulled her sleeping mask back over her eyes before she went back to her bag.

"Um, sorry?" Ruby apologized softly.

"Just talk and get it over with! God damn!" The purple petite girl grumbled as she crawled into her sleeping bag and rolled onto her side.

Yang, who decided to ignore the tired girl for now and beat her up tomorrow for the attitude, looked at the bow-wearing girl with a smile. "Hi! I'm Yang, and this is my sister, Ruby."

The girl with the bow looked at Ruby, who waved shyly, and blinked. "You're the one that blew yourself and Weiss Schnee up."

"Wow, I thought T.B.H. was the only one to see that," Yang said with a chuckle.

"Shut up, Yang." Ruby mumbled before she laughed weakly and rubbed her arm. "Yeah, well, you know me. I like to blow myself..."

Yang palmed her face while the girl with the bow blinked and the petite girl in the purple sleeping bag barked out a laugh.

"...Uh-huh. What did you need?" The girl asked.

"I, you know, just wanted to say thanks for the help and, maybe, I dunno, be friends?" Ruby awkwardly asked with a nervous smile. The bow-wearing girl just stared at her. "Or at least know your name so I can thank you?"

"...Blake Belladonna," the girl, Blake, said shortly. She looked back at her book. "Anything else?"

"What are you reading?" Ruby asked curiously.

"It's a story about a man forced to face his duality and struggling to accept it." Blake explained. "Duality is a subject I like to read about. A lot of things have two faces when you look at them closely. It can really affect your point of view."

"Oh...that sounds...nice?" Yang and Ruby exchanged

"It is very nice. And I'll can't wait to continue reading it, alone, once you two go away." Blake glowered at the sisters.

"And hopefully shut the frig up." The girl in the purple sleeping bag grit out.

"You want to start something, Shrimp?" Yang asked with a frown aimed at the bag.

The girl snorted and pushed a corner of her sleeping mask up to glare at Yang. "Believe me, Thunder Tits, I don't need to start anything. It'd already be finished by the time you throw that first punch."

"Oh is that so?"

"Bet your fake tits on it."

"Ha, you wish they were fake. At least I have something to grab."

"Ooh, real heavy mounds of fat to throw around for the boys. What girl doesn't want that?"

"Would all of you be so kind as to – You again!?" Weiss scowled as her eyes landed on Ruby. She quickly scanned the immediate area and then glared at the sheepish girl. Now she could rightfully vent without ridiculing herself in front of a fellow Atlesian and risk staining the Schnee name.

"Oh, hey, Weiss..." Ruby greeted the girl in the white nightgown with a small wave.

"I should've known it was you making all this racket!" Weiss accused the girl loudly.

"What is your problem with my sister? She's only trying to be nice!"

"She's a hazard to my health!"

"I'm going to be a hazard to _all_ of your health if you don't shut up!" The petite purple girl warned as she sat up.

"No one was talking to you, Shrimp!"

"I know, but it's kind of hard to ignore your argument, Thunder Tits!"

"Excuse me." A new voice butted in and was accompanied by the sound of knuckles being cracked. Eyes went to a girl about as tall or an inch taller than Ruby with bright pink hair, a large forehead, and a metal band around her left bicep. She was dressed in an black t-shirt with a pink flower that was shaped like a star in the center and pink pajama pants. "In case you are unaware, the rest of the room is trying to sleep."

"Thank you!" Weiss and the petite girl chimed and smirked at the sisters. "Told you-"

"You two are just as loud." The pink haired girl grumbled. Her hands shone green while her face was shadowed. "For Human and Faunus bodies to fully fall asleep, they must relax the mind. This means all stimuli must be stopped for at _least_ one hour. You five don't seem to understand that."

Blake blinked. "Wait, I was just reading-!"

"Your light is keeping about thirteen percent of the room awake." The pink haired girl cut her off. She looked up and her eyes were the same eerie green as her hands. "But I'll fix that with a remedy from my granny Sakura. She called it the Haruno Special Sleep Agent."

Yang blinked. "The wha-?"

"SHANNARO!"

There was a loud slap and Yang crumpled to the ground, sound asleep with a red welt on her cheek. Ruby, Blake, Weiss and the petite purple clad girl looked at the newcomer with horror in their eyes.

"Now...who's next?" Her eyes drifted to the lone girl in her sleeping bag.

"No-wait!"

"SHANNARO!"

A slap to the face had knocked out the petite purple girl.

"Anyone else?"

Blake quickly blew out her candle and dove for her sleeping bag, not desiring to be slapped. Weiss had already bolted back to her inflatable mattress. Ruby swallowed and slowly reached down to grab her sister's ankle before she retreated as well.

The girl's hands lost their glow and she crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. "I didn't think so. No one keeps Lucky Lucy Haruno from her beauty sleep."

* * *

 **AN: Well, there you have it. Lucky is a Haruno who alludes to our dear ol' Winter Soldier.**

 **Give me your reactions!**

 **REVIEW!**


	4. Initiation: Part 1

**Fame and Shield**

 **Initiation: Part 1**

* * *

The next morning, after he'd downed a whole pot of coffee, Naruto zipped up his brown jacket before he adjusted his utility belt. The silver, blue and brown clad teen reached into his locker and grabbed a navy blue helmet with a bold silver 'A' plastered on it. Naruto stared at the helmet in his hands.

" _Take cover! Momochi put some suppressing fire down on those Faunus!" There was an explosion as a dust canister was struck one too many times by a stray bullet. A man in silver was sent rocketing into a wall. He rushed over to the soldier and slung his arm over his shoulders. "On your feet, soldier! I'm not losing anyone else today!"_

"Good morning, Cap!"

The cheerful greeting brought Naruto out of his melancholy thoughts and made him focus on the orange haired, girl with turquoise eyes that stood beside him. She was around Ruby's height, if not an inch or so shorter, but his keen eyes saw that she had slightly more muscle than the average girl. She wore a white sleeveless shirt with a heart-shaped hole that opened just above her bust, a closed black vest set over that, and white armbands that protected her elbows. A pink skirt that ended around mid thigh, pink sneakers and pink gloves added to Naruto's belief that her favorite color was pink.

"Good morning, Ms. Pink." Naruto greeted back with a small smile.

"Yeah, I wear a lot of it, but I like black and white, too, those and yellow go great with pink. And though I wish it were, that's not my name. I'm Nora! Nora Valkyrie, at your service! Nice to meet you, Cap!" Nora introduced herself with a wide grin.

Naruto blinked at her enthusiasm and then chuckled. "Nice to meet you, too, Nora. My name is Naruto Ironwood."

"Eh, I'm just gonna keep calling you Cap, Cap. Easier for me to remember that way. Naruto sounds like a pancake topping and both captain and Ironwood sound too stuffy." Nora shrugged. "Plus, my Dad served in the army, he always called officers by their titles. He said that they earned it for a reason and deserved to be called such."

Naruto arched a brow. "How did you know...?"

"You got two silver bars on your jacket collar, kind of hard to see at first, but the light got reflected and I saw it." Nora pointed out with a grin. Naruto looked down at his upturned collar and quickly adjusted it so that the bars were hidden. "Doesn't matter if you hide it, rumors are spreading about the famous Captain Atlas coming to Beacon."

"Captain Atlas?" Naruto repeated with an amused smile as he set the helmet back in his locker.

"It's catchy, a lot better than Captain Ironwood. That just sounds weird and kind of dirty," Nora said with her tongue stuck out. "Ren doesn't like it when I talk about things like that. It makes him uncomfortable."

"Your friend, I would take it?" Naruto asked as he grabbed Libertas Steel and clipped it around his left forearm.

"Yeah, just waiting for him to finish up in the bathroom. I was in there earlier, but some guy freaked out. Maybe you heard it," Nora said with a grin. "He screamed like a girl. It was funny."

Naruto chuckled lightly while he shut his locker. "Yes, I heard it. It was hard not to."

"Right? I mean, I was like, 'dude, it is way too steamy for me to see anything so stop freaking out', but he was all 'girls don't belong in the bathroom!' Then Ren told me to leave before I could explain that we've been doing stuff like that since we were kids. We've been together for nearly all our lives. Er, not together, together, but you know what I mean. Not that Ren's bad looking or anything, but he's just my friend-"

"Nora. You're rambling." A calm voice noted dryly. The owner of the voice, a boy – who Naruto assumed was the one named Ren – walked over to them while he brushed his hair.

The boy's hair was black, save for a strand that matched his magenta colored eyes. He wore a green long-sleeved tailcoat with golden fastenings, black edging along his right side and collar, and pink cuffs that were wide and revealed tighter black long sleeves around the boy's arm. Light tan pants fell down from his waist and black shoes protected his feet.

"Hi Ren! Ren, this is Cap. Cap, this is Lie Ren, my best friend since forever!" Nora introduced the two with a wide smile.

"Naruto Ironwood." Naruto offered Ren his hand. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise." Ren offered with a small smile as he took the offered hand and shook it. His eyes glanced at Nora and then back at Naruto as he pulled his hand back. "Sorry if she bothered you."

"It's no trouble. Always nice to make new friends," Naruto said with a nod as Ren opened a locker next to Naruto's and placed his brush inside.

"Yeah, hear that, Ren? We're friends! Cap's a good listener, too, so maybe you should try talking to him about some of those 'guy things' you won't talk to me about," Nora said.

"Nora, everyone you talk to is a good listener." Ren smiled wryly while Nora gave him a mild look of offense.

"You say that like I'm some sort of chatterbox or something, Ren!" Nora frowned at the teen while he pulled out two green guns with blades at the end of the barrel and collapsed them into his sleeves.

"You _are_ a chatterbox, Nora." Ren returned as he closed his locker and looked to Naruto while Nora was gob smacked.

"See you around," Naruto said as he nodded over to a confused Jaune. "I promised I'd help him find his way around, he was still sort of out of it during the tour."

Ren nodded and walked off with Nora hot on his heels. "I am not a chatterbox! You take that back, Lie Ren!"

Nora turned and waved at Naruto before she continued to pursue her friend.

"Well she was certainly lively," Naruto said with an amused chuckle. He glanced over at Jaune as he stopped and turned around to rush by, muttering to himself about his locker. The taller Atlesian blond chuckled again and shook his head. "I'm so glad I came here."

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos was not a vain girl in any sense of the word, even though she had every reason to be. Her skin was a flawless pale white despite her countless tournament fights and her muscles were toned to near perfection, giving her a figure that most girls her age would be unable to attain for a few more years.

Her beauty was enhanced by her common battle attire, which consisted of a bronze and gold strapless top, a red sash around her brown skirt and golden armor over her heeled thigh-length boots that added a few more inches to her already tall form. She added some jewelry to the attire as well, a bronze gorget around her neck and two teardrop earrings along with the golden tiara that was wrapped around her head. She had long flowing red hair that contrasted beautifully with her green eyes if her fans' mail held any truth in them.

Yes, she even had _fans_. Plural. Her name was known around the _whole_ world: Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl. Pyrrha was famous for her four consecutive victories in Mistral's annual tournament, and even more so for her stellar performance in her starting academy.

Pyrrha was even mascot on a box of cereal for a while, Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes, until she requested her picture be removed once she learned of the horribly obscene amounts of sugar in the cereal.

Yet despite all of her fame, Pyrrha did not lose sight of herself. She remained to be the kind girl that her parents had raised her to be. Open-minded, confidant, beautiful and strong, Pyrrha was the epitome of what it took to be a role model.

So when another girl who understood the woes of publicity had approached her, Pyrrha had not shied away or show any wary. Not that she was ever wary of a potential friend; it was hard to be friends with someone when you were so out of reach in another's eyes.

"So, what do you know about the rumors of teams?" Weiss asked Pyrrha.

Pyrrha tapped her chin with her gloved hand. "I've not heard much other than there's supposedly a test of abilities to be given soon."

"Really? That's good to know." Weiss hummed thoughtfully. "You know, perhaps we should team up. With our skills combined, we could get through whatever challenges await us with ease."

"Us? A team?" Pyrrha asked with a small smile as she thought about it. "Yes, that would seem like a very good idea."

Weiss turned away and let out a giddy laugh. Pyrrha frowned in mild confusion when Weiss started to mutter to herself. She idly wondered if the Schnee Heiress was conscious of it.

"Hey, Snow Angel, how's about you and me make a team?" A blond boy that almost walked past them stopped and flirted with Weiss. Pyrrha blinked in mild surprise at being ignored so readily, but she did not argue against it. It was almost like she was...normal.

"No." Weiss denied flatly once she gave the blond a once over.

"Ah, c'mon, you don't even know my name." The blond pressed with a grin.

"I don't want to." Weiss frowned and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Name's Jaune Arc!" The boy introduced himself despite the refusal. Jaune bowed slightly and grinned up at Weiss. "The pleasure is mine, Miss...?"

"Her name is Weiss Schnee, Jaune." Pyrrha's green eyes widened as another blond walked up while Weiss, this one far more familiar to her than even Weiss Schnee was.

If Pyrrha Nikos was the woman that every girl wanted to be and every boy wanted to be with, than her male equivalent would be Naruto Ironwood. The "super soldier" of Atlas, Naruto stood only an inch higher than she did with her heels and was known for not only his similar demeanor that Pyrrha had, but also his looks. It was shameful, but Pyrrha still had that special issue of Atlas Teen with his photo spread.

What? She was a girl, famous sure, but still a girl. She liked to look at boys just as much as they liked to look at her.

Naruto nodded down at Weiss with a smile while the heiress turned a bit pink in the cheeks. "We meet again, Ms. Schnee."

"Ironwood." Weiss curtly – actually, it was more of a quick acknowledgement than a rude brief one, Pyrrha realized – recognized the greeting. Weiss turned back to Jaune, who had a frown aimed at Naruto.

"Aw, c'mon, I was doing a thing!" Jaune complained. "She tells me her name, I get her scroll number..."

Naruto gained an apologetic look and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, Jaune. I thought you were being serious."

"Ah, well, not your fault," Jaune said with a shrug. He turned his gaze back to Weiss, who seemed to be sneaking looks at Naruto from the corner of her eyes from where Pyrrha stood. Jaune, unaware of this, grinned at the heiress. "Anyway, you sure you don't want to be on my team, Snow Angel?"

"Very. I've already got a team started with her," Weiss said, gesturing behind Jaune to Pyrrha.

Jaune turned and grinned. "Hey, cool. A team with two beautiful women on it? Where do I sign to join?"

"We're not exactly a formal team, yet," Pyrrha said sheepishly.

"And you're not allowed to join," Weiss said firmly. Her eyes went to Naruto and her cheeks pinked again. "B-but you're more than welcome, Captain."

"Just Naruto, please," Naruto said as he leaned against the lockers behind him. "And it doesn't matter what I decide, because according to Kiba's sister, teams are determined by the upper brass."

"O-oh," Weiss said with mild surprise and what looked like disappointment. "I see."

"However, if we were able to choose teams, I would join yours, Ms. Schnee," Naruto said with a kind smile.

Weiss looked away and let out a bashful thanks while Pyrrha smiled.

"That's very kind of you to say," she said to her fellow celebrity.

Naruto shrugged. "If I had to be honest, I would probably join whomever worked up the nerve to ask me to join first."

"I completely understand," Pyrrha said. She took a quick glance around the room and noticed people started to stare and whisper while they looked over at her and Naruto. "People can be..."

"Strange?" Naruto finished, and received a nod from Pyrrha. He smiled as he walked over and offered his hand. "I agree. Allow me to formally introduce myself. I'm Captain Naruto Ironwood."

Pyrrha smiled back at him and took his hand in a firm shake. "A pleasure. Pyrrha Nikos."

"...I'm sorry if this sounds odd, but your hair is beautiful," Naruto said as his eyes drifted up to the scarlet strands on her head.

Pyrrha felt heat rush to her cheeks as she pulled her hand back and started to play with her ponytail. "Do you really think so?"

Naruto laughed nervously and scratched his head. "Yeah, I do. Sorry again, but since I saw your first attempt in the Mistral Tournament, I told myself I'd tell you that. It looked a lot better out of the ponytail you had it in and after Harry Cleese cut the binding with his sword."

"Y-You saw that?" Pyrrha asked in mild surprise. She hadn't known he was present for her first tournament. She blushed lightly when he smiled at her.

"Yeah, you did very well. If he hadn't gotten that cheap shot in, I think you could've won," Naruto said to her honestly.

"Thank you." Pyrrha looked down slightly, her cheeks red. The four went silent when a woman's voice came over the speaker system and asked the first years to gather at the cliffs overlooking the Emerald Forest.

"Guess that's that," Naruto said as he put a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. His smile was still in place. "You're a strong girl, Pyrrha. You've proven it time and time again. Good luck today."

"You as well." Pyrrha smiled back at him as her blush faded. "Perhaps we'll end up on a team together."

"Maybe, but even if we don't, you've still got a friend in me." Naruto looked at Weiss and Jaune with his smile still in place. "The same for the both of you. If you need help, just ask and I will be there."

Naruto turned and walked towards the doors.

Pyrrha followed his form with a smile on her face. He'd called her a friend and they'd only been speaking for seconds. For someone who came from such a prestigious background as he did, Naruto Ironwood was very nice.

"...So, ladies, there's room for two in my team still," Jaune said after a beat had passed.

Pyrrha let out a light chuckle while Weiss scowled at him.

 _Going to Beacon is turning out to be a very good choice,_ Pyrrha thought as she turned and followed the path Naruto had taken.

* * *

"Good morning and welcome again, all of you, to Beacon." Glynda Goodwitch greeted the first years that stood across from her. She was tall and still very beautiful for a woman her age. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a bun, save for the one curl on the right side of her face she could never snag. Glynda's attire, according to one of her oafish coworkers, was like that of a "librarian gone bad". Her oval glasses were what sealed that description, but that was aside from the point.

Glynda's green eyes washed over the would-be students she was supposed to get to know in the coming year and paused on the tall blond boy dressed in blue and silver. She quickly looked to the girl in the black and red attire and her eyes narrowed.

 _Ozpin is trying to get me to have an aneurism, I'm sure of it._

Glynda did _not_ approve of enrolling either of these two to Beacon because one was most certainly _not_ emotionally, physically, or mentally prepared for the life that came when one was a Huntress and the other was _not_ a Huntsman in any sense of the word, he was a _soldier_.

Glynda did not _like_ soldiers.

"Within a few moments we will be joined by Professor Ozpin," Glynda said with a frown on her face as her gaze went to the nervous blond on the girl in red and black's right. "He will then explain the purpose of your presence. If you decide that you do not want to wait for the Professor, then you may make your way to the airships."

There was a soft murmur among the crowd and Glynda concealed a smirk as she looked down at her Scroll.

"For those of you that wait, please announce yourself as I take attendance." Glynda tapped her Scroll to alphabetize the names of the students. For the next few minutes, several "Here's" were called out. A few in particular filled Glynda with intrigue.

"Arnie Anderson?"

Glynda marked the name off and moved down the list after the boy spoke up, a few students that seemed to teeter out of her interest – most were average acceptances that she had really not cared for. Was it cruel? Yes, but even Ozpin had not paid much attention to the mass of the new freshmen. The headmaster focused primarily on sixteen individuals, the same sixteen that Glynda was now focusing on.

"Jaune Arc?"

The nervous blond raised his hand and Glynda scrutinized him before she marked him present. She had expected more from someone with his sort of paperwork. Oh well, perhaps he was bursting with talent that couldn't be seen from the outside.

"Blake Belladonna?"

Glynda gave the girl a quick look as she raised her hand. The 'disguised' Faunus – what a joke that bow was, it was a testament to how little many cared about appearances that she hasn't been revealed yet – was another girl she did not want present. Yes, Glynda believed that everyone deserved a chance to change their life, but the girl was a terrorist, and those beliefs are hard to break.

"Kiba Black?"

The name of one of her more intellectually gifted students' younger sibling, for instance, was not one Glynda expected to come across. She marked him present when a nonchalant "Yo!" came from the young Faunus.

"Hanabi Bishop?"

 _I'd have thought she'd go to Haven, considering her father's influence there,_ Glynda mused after she read the name off. Oh, sure, she knew of those that had been accepted, but to actually come to Beacon was a choice the girl had to make. It surprised her, to say the least.

"Here!"

After she had spoken up, Glynda marked the purple clad girl present while she blew a bubble with her gum and popped it.

"Dove Bronzewing?"

The noble boy from the Bronzewing family of Vale held his hand up.

"I am present!"

Glynda hoped to see this Dove fly high like his father, Falcon, did in his prime as a Huntsman. There was a reason the Bronzewing family was nobility. A few more names passed by until Glynda reached another of the sixteen that stuck out to herself and Professor Ozpin.

"Lucy Haruno?"

"That's _Lucky_ Lucy, thank you!" Lucky corrected firmly.

Glynda had met the girl's grandmother, Sakura, on a mission when she was a young Huntress. Seeing the silver band around the pink-haired girl's arm sent a wave of fear down Glynda's back. She just hoped the girl wasn't as temperamental as her grandmother was, otherwise, there was bound to be more craters than needed around the school.

The next name on the list made Glynda frown slightly. She had thought there would be a few more surnames that began with the letter 'I'.

 _Might as well get it over with_. Glynda mused to herself before she looked up from her Scroll.

"Naruto Ironwood?"

A wake of murmurs washed through the teens as they looked towards the blond dressed in blue and silver where he stood at attention. The soldier had a faraway stare locked on the horizon of the Emerald Woods and he seemed to ignore the whispers around him. His neighbor, Kiba Black, gave him a nudge to snap him out of his thoughts. Naruto met Glynda's gaze and gave a sheepish smile to her.

"Present, Ma'am."

 _...Well, at least he has manners._ Glynda noted as she checked off his name. She cleared her throat to quell the chatter as she continued with her list. There were a few more names before Glynda came across another name she had singled out.

"Sky Lark?"

"I'm here." A boy with shoulder length blue hair smiled at her and sent her a wink. Glynda blanched at the action and marked his name with a small frown. Wonderful, he was a "player", it was flattering to know she still appealed to the young hormonal teens, but frankly, it was also disturbing.

Quickly moving down the list, Glynda had to force back another groan before she read off the name.

"Pyrrha Nikos?"

Like with Ironwood's son, the name sent murmurs through the crowd. The redheaded girl's raised hand and polite smile made Glynda smile back despite the annoyance she felt. Yes, the girl was talented, but her fame was going to make it so difficult for her to make any leeway in the social field. The most Glynda could do was offer an ear and advice if the girl ever sought it out.

"Ruby Rose?"

The foolish girl she'd saved from Roman Torchwick's unknown ally gave her a weak smile and wave that only confirmed what Glynda thought of her. She was too young, but in a few years time, Glynda would happily welcome her. Nevertheless, she is here and Glynda Goodwitch had to accept it. Even if she didn't want to.

"Lie Ren?

The quiet boy with a strand of magenta in his hair raised his hand and Glynda made a check beside his name. His mental fortitude was akin to that of the renowned young genius inventor of Mistral. Or at least, it had to be if the way he could manage to survive the onslaught from his orange haired companion was any indication of his mentality.

There was a bit of whispering while Glynda continued to take roll. As she made it to the twelfth of the sixteen children that stood out from the crowd, Glynda noted that quite a few were getting irritated and had to conceal another smile.

"Weiss Schnee?"

The murmurs and whispers were neither as loud nor surprised when this name was called as compared to when Mr. Ironwood or Ms. Nikos had been announced. Glynda looked at the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company and checked her name off. So many celebrities this year...it was astounding really.

"Russell Thrush?"

Glynda narrowed her eyes on him when he waved cheekily at her. The boy was a troubled youth, but extremely talented. However, if Glynda had to chose, she would've taken more ex-White Fang members like Ms. Belladonna as opposed to Mr. Thrush. Regardless, Mr. Thrush was checked off and Glynda prepared for the last three to be called.

"Nora Valkyrie?"

"I'm here~!" Nora sang out happily while she spun in her place in the line.

Glynda was impressed by the girl's enthusiasm, but did not show it. The Valkyrie family was a strange sort and had defended the not just the city, but the country of Vale for years. Since she had decided to be a teacher, Glynda awaited with baited breath to train one of the less known Hunt families. She hoped that Nora would not disappoint her.

"Cardin Winchester?"

The son of one of the Councilmen of Vale, Cardin was practically guaranteed entry into Beacon even with his horrendous grades from his previous academy. Glynda marked him down with a frown. She hoped his attitude would change when it came down to the crunch time.

Finally, after a few more names, Glynda came across the last of the sixteen who intrigued her and Professor Ozpin.

"Yang Xiao-Long?"

"Ugh, finally! Do you know _Xiao-Long_ I've been waiting to be called?" Yang asked with a wide grin as she crossed her arms over her bust.

"Darn it, Yang!" the girl's half-sister cried out in annoyance while a few, including Naruto and Pyrrha, snickered. Ruby glared at her sister. "You used that joke already yesterday!"

"Yeah, but yesterday isn't today, Ruby."

"Still-!"

"No, Ms. Rose, Ms. Xiao-Long has a point." The students, save for a few, jumped as the headmaster strolled past Ruby on her other side and sipped his coffee. Professor Ozpin smiled as he walked up to stand beside Glynda and looked at his gathered freshmen. "A new day wipes the last's slate clean. And that said, let us get to why we are all gathered here. Today, you take your first steps as students of Beacon. Today...you are tested. Welcome to your initiation."

* * *

 **AN: What's really scary is I wrote this last half of my chapter from Glynda's sort of POV after I drank, like, four bottles of Reds...**

 **WHOO!**

 **RHEAIJSKN!**


	5. Initiation: Part 2

**Fame and Shield**

 **Initiation: Part 2**

* * *

" _To summarize, your goal is simple. Go into the Emerald Woods, retrieve the artifacts from the northern temple, and partner with the first person you meet eyes with."_

Ozpin's words before he had started to launch the freshmen echoed in Naruto's head as he soared through the air. A jostle of his arm caused Libertas Steel to unfold from its collapsed bracer mode. The shield hummed as it locked into form while Naruto lifted it up to protect his head when he started to fall. Naruto broke into the forest with ease and Libertas Steel knocked any would-be branch out of his way. Twenty feet before he hit the ground, Naruto grabbed a branch with his left hand and swung up to divert his momentum. He landed on the ground on his feet but rolled to divert any remaining momentum out.

 _Okay, first objective: Find a partner._ Naruto thought to himself as he stood up. He took in his surroundings and looked up at the cloudless sky overhead. He was probably about a mile or so from the cliff. He heard a whoop and a bang before a yellow blur shot by overhead. "...That must've been Yang. Hm, propelling herself is stylish, but definitely not smart."

"Typical. Thunder Tits is an attention whore. She doesn't want the D, but acts like it to get eyes on her."

Naruto turned and looked around for the source of his voice. He didn't spot anyone when he landed, so where were they? And how'd they find him so fast?

"Up here, Blue Boy."

Naruto looked up at the tree to his right. Perched on the branch of the tree was a petite girl with brown hair pulled up into a ponytail. Over her eyes were two goggles with dark purple lenses. Her lips, colored the same shade as her goggles, quirked up in a smile while she waved down at him. She was dressed in dark purple or black clothes; a purple and black top that revealed her stomach. Strapped to her back was a noticeable quiver that poked out over her left shoulder, but Naruto didn't see any arrows. Or a bow, for that matter. Around her waist was a pouched belt looped through the holes in her tight black pants that tucked into her black and purple boots.

"Bishop, right?" Naruto asked. His eyebrow raised up when the girl jumped from her perch and landed in front of him. Wow, she was short. The girl barely came up to the middle of his chest. "How'd you find me so fast?"

"First of all, Blue, my name is _Hanabi_." Hanabi corrected him sternly. She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. "I'm not just a Bishop. To answer your question, I saw you land over here and figured getting the best of the bunch as a partner would be the best call I could make."

Naruto nodded in understanding and smiled at her. "Well, I hope we work together well."

Hanabi arched a brow. "...Was that a flirt? No offense, but you're not my type, Blue."

"Um...None taken?" Naruto blinked in confusion.

"Glad that's clear. Let's go and get a relic before they're gone. Three are already gone. I want to be number four." Hanabi walked by him and into the brush. She disappeared around a tree for a moment before she popped her head back around the tree. "C'mon soldier boy, I said hoof it!"

Naruto followed with a frown on his face. He hadn't taken orders since he was a trainee in Atlas.

The feeling was...strange.

* * *

"So, how do you know there's only been three taken?" Naruto asked as he pushed a branch out of his way. They'd been walking for little more than half an hour now, but hadn't come across any real problems yet. Bored and curious, the soldier decided to probe for more information about his partner. Plus, that question had been nagging at him for the past twenty minutes.

Hanabi smirked and looked over her shoulder at him. "I've got good eyes."

"Well, that's only _extremely_ cryptic." Naruto muttered. The small laugh Hanabi gave only made him frown further. A chill went down the back of his spine and Naruto glanced to the left just in time to see a shadow rustle a bush.

Naruto stopped walking and turned to the right after the mysterious thing caught his eye. Hanabi stopped when she didn't hear his footfalls and turned to tell him something, but was silenced by Naruto's raised hand. Naruto lifted Libertas Steel up and his eyes shifted around.

Silently, Naruto's raised hand clenched into a fist and then his four fingers extended. Naruto pointed subtly in front of himself, to Hanabi's right, and to a spot over his shoulder with his thumb. Naruto looked at Hanabi as she nodded and reached for her quiver.

The quiver shifted as she pulled it from her back into a purple and black bow with bladed edges and a thin string. Above the spot where Hanabi gripped the handle was a small barrel no bigger than a button. There was a chamber of red, green and blue lines like one would see on a revolver. The two teens went back-to-back, Hanabi's bowstring drawn while Naruto lifted his shield up in front of him and tightened his other hand into a fist.

"...The least they could do is acknowledge that we know they're there." Hanabi muttered. She released the string and a red fiery blast escaped from her bow's barrel. A sharp whistle was followed by a loud explosion and howl.

"I think you got one." Naruto mused as a pack of what was seven (but now six) Beowolves burst out from the brush. He punched one of the white masked Grimm creatures square in the jaw when it came too close for comfort and then bashed it to the ground with Libertas Steel in a spinning elbow attack. The Beowolf pulled back into the brush to recuperate.

"No, do you think so?" Hanabi asked as she drew her string and blasted another Beowolf with her bow. She let out a yell as she sliced a second across its man-like chest with her bow before she spun into a crouch and aimed at one of the Beowolves that ran at her new partner. "Two o'clock!"

"Take it!" Naruto ordered as he jumped up and flipped back to kick the same Beowolf that Hanabi had slashed in the head while the archer let her string loose and blew a hole through the chest of the Beowolf that she had in her sights.

Naruto turned and sliced the Beowolf's head off with the edge of his shield. He glanced to his right at a tree and his free hand grabbed Libertas Steel from his arm. The shield was thrown before a Beowolf could tackle him to the ground. Naruto dropped with the tackle to drive his feet into the Beowolf's stomach and flip it over him.

"Why would you throw your shield?" Hanabi asked irritably as she flipped away from a Beowolf that tried to rip her to shreds with its claws. She landed atop the Beowolf that Naruto had flipped and stabbed the tip of her bow into its chest.

As if to answer her question, Libertas Steel ricocheted off of two more trees before it decapitated the Beowolf that had attacked Hanabi. It bounced off a final tree and was caught by Naruto, who then used it like a blunt weapon to swing up into another Beowolf's head. A loud snap echoed in the forest before the Grimm fell to the ground and dissipated into black wisps while Naruto clipped his shield back on his left arm.

The last Beowolf, the one Naruto had bashed earlier, landed behind Naruto with an arm raised. Naruto brought Libertas Steel up in a quick movement, shattering the Grimm mask of the "sneaky" foe with the comedic backfist. Naruto gave Hanabi a grin as the Beowolf burst into wisps as it fell to the ground.

"...Okay, that was pretty cool."

Naruto chuckled at the begrudgingly admitted compliment and nodded towards the direction they had started out in.

"Do you want to take point or should I?"

"Don't push it, Blue." Hanabi warned with a frown as she trudged past him and collapsed her bow back into a quiver. She hooked the concealed weapon on her back and turned back to give him a pointed look from behind her goggles. "I'm still ten times the shot you'll ever be."

Naruto scratched his head as his partner turned back around. Why was it that every girl he met was so weird?

* * *

Yang Xiao-Long didn't expect for today to turn out so well after she woke up with a nearly bruised right cheek and a sore back. Despite all the nice surprises that have occurred today, Yang was determined to track that pink haired girl down and give her a piece of her mind. And that piece of mind would come in the shape of Yang's fist, delivered in two punches: one for the slap, and another for the bruise.

However, aside from the rude awakening and slightly sore body, Yang's morning was going well. She'd gotten to make an _awesome_ impression on the competition with her badass landing. Yang easily took out an Ursa after it had wronged her and got a pretty neat partner who could handle herself.

 _And now I have a pony! I can cross that stupid thing off the bucket list Ruby and I made._ Yang grinned as she pocketed the 'artifact' that was a chess piece. She gave a grin to her partner, Blake Belladonna, who returned the look with a small smile of her own. Blake was cool, if not a bit too quiet for Yang's taste. Oh well, a few days with her and Yang was sure that Blake would be able to say more than one sentence at a time.

"Now, all we have to do is – Huh?" Yang cut herself off as she and Blake turned to their left when a loud girlish scream was heard. Yang looked at Blake and arched a brow. "You hear that, too?"

"Sounds like some other girl is in trouble," Blake said simply.

Yang furrowed her brows and her thoughts went to her little sister. Trouble followed Ruby like a stalker and always found ways to pull Ruby into some sort of shenanigans. Before she could suggest any action they could take, a familiar voice made Yang frown and turn to her right.

"Goddammit." The foul-mouthed, purple-themed petite girl from the night before came through the woods with a scowl aimed at Yang. Behind her came the boy she called T.B.H. and Yang's slight dislike of the girl grew. She wasn't jealous...much.

"Language."

"Shut up, Blue." The petite girl's automatic response was followed by a pause before she smirked and looked up at her partner. "Did you just seriously chide me on my mouth?"

"...No?"

"You _did_!" The girl burst into laughter while Naruto palmed his face. She grinned at him as they walked towards the ruins. "You do know I can't let you live this down, right?"

"I was afraid of that," Naruto said with a small frown before he nodded to Yang and sent a brief look at Blake. It was one of confusion, like he was trying to place the black-clad girl somewhere. "Ladies."

Blake remained quiet and had stiffened beside Yang, something that the blonde had filed away to deal with later, when the duo stopped across from them.

"Hey, Handsome. Shrimp." Yang grinned as the petite girl's smile fell into a small frown. She crossed her arms under her buxom bust and looked at her fellow blonde. "What took you so long? Have some performance issues, _Ironwood_?"

Naruto stared at her and his brow furrowed. "I don't get it."

"I tried the same thing on him earlier, Thunder Tits. Guy's pure as a halo," the petite girl said with a huff.

Yang's eyelids drooped and she grinned at Naruto again. "That can be fun in its own way."

"...Uh-huh," Naruto said with visible discomfort. Yang's grin didn't falter in the slightest and made a note to start teasing him more often. This stuff was hilarious and fun, plus, a part of her was wondering just how pure the Atlesian really was. She gave a swat to his rear as he walked past. Naruto jolted and glared at Yang, who grinned back at him.

"As I thought, it feels just as tight as it looks."

"Stop teasing my partner, gosh darn it. That's my job."

Naruto dryly glared at his partner. "Funny, Bishop, real funny."

"I try, Blue." Hanabi returned with a grin as she walked past the two girls and stuck her tongue out at Yang.

Yang did the mature thing and stuck her tongue back out at the shorter girl. She looked at her partner, whose amber eyes were warily locked on the brown, blue and silver themed boy's back. Despite knowing that Blake wasn't staring at Naruto, Yang grinned.

"It's not a bad view, is it? Perfectly shaped, rounded, and firm as steel..."

Blake glared at her with red cheeks. "I wasn't – That wasn't what I was – Shut up, Yang."

"What? I was talking about his shield." Yang grinned at her partner. "Didn't know you were such a pervert, Blake. Geez."

Blake's glare didn't let up as her blush darkened. Her bow looked like it had twitched irritably, but Yang attributed that to a trick of the eye. Yang looked back at the other duo and watched her fellow blond grab the golden pawn.

"Why a pawn?" Hanabi asked as she reached out for the golden queen.

"Pawns have the most potential," Naruto said as he tossed the chess piece into the air and caught it. He tucked the piece into a pouch on the belt that went across his chest and nodded at his partner.

"Great, we got what we came for. Now let's get out of here before something weird happens." Hanabi suggested with a thumb aimed in the direction of the cliff they had come from.

"Look out below!"

"Too late," Hanabi said with a sigh while Yang, Naruto and Blake looked up.

Yang's eyes went wide and then narrowed as she recognized the pink hair that was atop the descending figure's head. The girl that had slapped her into unconscious flipped once in the air and brought her silver left arm forward. The fingerless gloved silver hand drove itself into the ground at the base of the 'ruins' steps and a small crater formed from the landing.

The pink haired girl stood up and dusted her dark clothes off. Black cargo pants tucked into black boots and dark pouches with red crosses were strapped to her waist. A black shirt with a single sleeve for her right arm had a silver bulletproof vest strapped over it, a pink star-shaped flower on her chest. At the right side of her hip was a holstered gun.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it Kiba?" The girl, Lucky if Yang remembered her name right, asked. "Kiba?"

Lucky looked around for a minute and then looked up. She grinned and held her arms out.

"There you are. Don't worry, Kiba, I've got ya!" Lucky called to a small speck above them. A figure landed in Lucky's arms with a grunt. Lucky smiled widely at her partner while he trembled. "See kitten? Told you that I'd catch you."

The Faunus, Kiba, glared at her. "You _threw_ me. Into _space_."

"First of all, you're exaggerating. You didn't even break the atmosphere. Secondly, I caught you." Lucky smirked at her partner. "See how it all worked out?"

"Put. Me. _Down_." The cat Faunus in the biker jacket growled.

"That's a very poor choice of words." Lucky pulled her arms out from underneath him and let Kiba drop to the ground with a grunt. While Kiba grumbled as he pulled himself to his feet, Lucky turned and took in her fellow hunters' appearances. "Oh, we got the blonde bimbo, the purple punk, the black cat and..."

"Haruno." Naruto's blue eyes narrowed as he stared at the pink-haired girl.

"Ironwood." Lucky's green eyes narrowed in turn as she matched his gaze.

A wind blew past as the two stared each other down. Yang could've sworn that she saw a tumbleweed blow between the two. In the blink of an eye, Lucky drew her bayonetted pistol and fired three times, but all of her bullets were deflected by Naruto's shield. Lucky jumped at Naruto with her silver left arm pulled back.

"SHANNARO!" Lucky's war cry put the others on the edge as her silver fist collided with Naruto's shield. A loud clang rang out at the collision, but Naruto did not budge. The teenaged soldier pushed Lucky back and ducked under her pistol's slash. Naruto stopped another left hook with his shield and caught her right wrist with his free hand. They stared at each other for a moment before they broke away, smiles on their faces.

"Still too slow, Lucky." Naruto chuckled as he collapsed Libertas Steel.

"I'd like to see you fight me without that antique to stop Cherry Blossom," Lucky said with a snort as she holstered her gun and tapped her left index and thumb together. The silver in her arm retracted from her shoulder and fingertips into the silver band she had the night before, with her symbol still visible.

"...What the actual Hell was that?" Hanabi asked while she aimed her bow at the pink haired girl that attacked her partner. Yang let her gauntlets, Ember Celica, unfold from their bracelet mode to cover her fists in preparation for a fight – and to deliver retribution for the K.O. Smack she got the night before. Blake reached for her sword, but did not draw it.

Unlike the bow-wearing girl, Kiba drew the sword that was on his back and pointed it at Hanabi. The blade was about two feet in length and looked like a shotgun had been fused with it. "Lower the bow, kid. I'm sure my idiot partner and Ironwood have reasons for the show."

"Soldier boy nearly got me killed a year back while he was in Atlas' military service." Lucky answered while she walked past Naruto and grabbed the other golden pawn. She looked at Kiba as she tucked the 'relic' in one of her pouches. "Put the fang away, Kitten."

"Don't call Akamaru a fang," Kiba said with a scowl as he sheathed his sword.

"Lower the weapon, Hanabi," Naruto said to his partner, who did so reluctantly. Naruto glanced over at Yang. "Please lower your fists, Yang."

"C'mon, T.B.H., I owe her!" Yang pouted at her fellow blond.

"...T-what?" Naruto asked with a confused frown.

"Don't answer that," Blake said as she clapped a hand onto Yang's mouth. Yang's eyes gleamed mischievously, but before she could do anything Blake glared at her. "Lick or bite my hand, and I'll have Lucky knock you out. Again."

Yang pouted at the hissed warning. Her partner was such a dry rag.

"Head's up!"

 _Wait, that sounded familiar_ , Yang thought. She looked up along with the other five present to see a red-hooded girl falling from the sky. Yang's eyes went wide. _Ruby?_

"...Why is your sister falling from the sky?" Blake asked as she pulled her hand away.

"I don't know." Yang answered honestly. She prepared herself to catch her falling sibling, but winced when a screaming boy flew into her from the side. "Oh, that had to hurt."

"Well, looks like Arc made a friend." Kiba drawled. The trees to the group's immediate right shifted and shook as something charged through. Yang lifted her fists while the others brought their weapons up when an Ursa, a bear-like Grimm, emerged from the forest with a roar and reared onto its hind legs.

The Ursa collapsed forward with a groan and revealed an orange haired girl that sat on its shoulders. "Aw, it's dead!"

"D...Did she just ride in on an Ursa?" Blake asked in disbelief as she lowered her cleaver.

"Yes. Yes she did." Naruto answered with a sigh as the girl rushed by him and snagged one of the golden rooks. The shield-bearer turned and sent an amused smile to the orange haired girl. "Nora, your partner?"

"Huh? Oh, right! Thanks for the reminder, Cap!" Nora beamed as she ran back to the dazed boy that stumbled out from behind the collapsed Ursa. "Ren, look! I'm queen of the castle!"

"Nora...don't ever do that again..." Ren implored as he walked over to the small group with haggard shoulders.

Nora balanced the rook on her head and followed her partner. "Do what?"

"Just...Never mind." Ren sighed and gave a tired smile to Naruto. "Captain."

"Ren." Naruto nodded back with a smile. "Glad to see you made it in one piece."

"That's debatable," Hanabi said with a snort as she took in Ren's appearance. "The guy looks like he's going to pass out any second."

"Nah, Ren _always_ looks like that," Nora said casually as she bounced the rook off of her head and played with the chess piece like it was a hacky sack.

Yang, bewildered by the way how casually her fellow blond was taking all this madness and a bit stressed/concerned over her little sister's sudden tackle into the tree branches, stepped forward and crossed her arms in front of her face.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, time out! Can we just have a moment of piece and tranquility so that I can wrap my head around everything? God, it's like every second after someone shows up, something crazy happens!"

"Out of the way, get back!" A new, familiar voice cried out from afar. Eyes turned and Yang let out another frustrated groan as she spotted Pyrrha Nikos running from a giant scorpion-like Grimm.

"See!?" Yang gestured at the sight. "That's not normal! God, just one minute! That's all I ask!"

"...Did she run all the way here with a Deathstalker on her tail?" Blake asked.

Kiba whistled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Now that's some stamina. Hate to be her bed buddy."

"Can't keep it up that long, kitty cat?" Hanabi asked with a smirk.

"I know my limits," Kiba said with a shrug. He grinned back at the shorter girl. "You wanna see?"

"Flirt later, horn dog," Lucky said to her partner. She had her gaze locked on a black figure above them.

"Hanabi?" Naruto looked at his partner as she followed Lucky's gaze.

"It's got a lot of scars and...Is that the Schnee heiress?" Hanabi asked with disbelief lacing her voice.

"Yep, that's Weiss." Eyes turned to the red-hooded girl that stood among them. She smiled and waved. "Hi guys!"

"Ruby!" Yang cried out in relief as she moved to embrace her sister.

"Yang!" Ruby was just as joyful and looked ready to reciprocate the hug.

"Nora!" The orange haired girl popped up between them with a wide smile on her face, completely ruining the moment. She looked between the sisters with confusion on her face. "What? No hug? Aww..."

"Ruby." The girl in question turned to Kiba as he stared at her with a frown on his face. "How long have you been there?"

"I just got here in time to answer her question," Ruby said as she pointed at Lucky. Ruby jumped behind Yang when she realized who stood behind the girl she pointed at. "Ah! The scary punching girl that knocked Yang out!"

"I did?" Lucky asked with a furrowed brow and tapped her chin.

"Yeah, and you knocked me out, too." Hanabi growled at the girl. "I've got half a mind to put another hole in your ass for it."

"You can shoot her all you want after I get my two cents in," Yang said as she remembered her desire to hit the girl that knocked her out.

"Get in line, Thunder Tits."

"Bring it on, ladies. I'd like to see you try." Lucky drew her pistol and her left arm was encased in the silver armor once more. A sharp whistle had stopped the brawl before it could begin. All eyes turned to Naruto while he glared at the three.

"Now's not the time to start falling apart. We need to complete our objective." Naruto looked up at Weiss on the Nevermore and then looked over at Pyrrha being chased by the Deathstalker. "But first, we need to save the others and regroup."

"And just how do you plan to do that?" Yang asked, slightly irritated that her retribution had been denied for now. Any answer that would've been given as two hands pointed up at Weiss Schnee.

"She's falling." Ren and Blake pointed out blandly.

"Jaune's on it." Kiba relaxed as the blond boy jumped from the branch he stood on and caught Weiss mid-fall. He and everyone else winced when the two landed on the ground, Weiss on Jaune's back. "Oh...That's going to leave a bruise."

Yang heard a loud smack and winced when she caught sight of Pyrrha flying towards them. Naruto had also heard it and moved to catch Pyrrha before she hit the ground. Yang hated to admit it, but she was a bit jealous of the careful cradle that Pyrrha was in. That body had to be just as firm as his butt was.

"So nice of you to drop in, Ms. Nikos," Naruto said with a light smile while the redheaded celebrity flushed lightly and smiled back.

"Thank you for the save," Pyrrha said as she was set back on her feet.

"Oh, good, now we can all die together," Yang said cheerfully as Weiss and Jaune regrouped with them.

 _And today was going so well..._ Yang thought bitterly.

* * *

 **AN: How's that for some insight, a bit of the Yang POV.**

 **REVIENDA!**


	6. Initiation: Part 3

**Fame and Shield**

 **Initiation: Part 3**

* * *

Naruto sighed into his hand as he, Pyrrha, Jaune, Nora and Ren hopelessly watched the group of rookies begin to argue amongst themselves.

"You left me!" Weiss glared at her partner.

"I thought you would jump with me," Ruby retorted weakly.

"I wasn't going to jump, you crazy little–!"

Yang cut her off with a frown. "Hey! Don't call my little sister crazy!"

Hanabi scoffed. "Yeah, because you're both the epitome of sanity, Thunder Tits."

"Says the loudmouth," Blake said dryly.

"Hey, if you didn't try to ignore them last night, we all could've fallen asleep normally!"

"I'm with catty over there." Kiba ignored the glare he got from Blake as he glared at Hanabi and the other girls. "You were all loud enough to wake the dead."

"Guess you owe me a thank you for knocking them out, then, huh Kitten?"

"Shut up, Lucky, you still threw me when I told you not to!"

"It would've been too slow to just run!"

"You guys should've grabbed an Ursa to ride!" Nora suggested wisely while Ren palmed his face.

"Nora, that's not helping."

"It would've been preferred over trying to ride a Nevermore!"

"Hey, at least you weren't hurt!"

"You mean like when your sister blew me up?!"

"That was your fault, too!"

Naruto looked at Pyrrha, who met his gaze, and then looked down at her shield before he looked back up into her eyes. Pyrrha nodded and they lifted their shields up over their shoulders before they swung at each other. There was a loud clang as their shields collided. The arguing teens all stopped and looked at the two celebrities, both had frowns on their faces as they looked back at the would-be hunters in front of them.

"Everyone, stand down!" Naruto ordered his fellow teens. Before anyone could speak, he pointed at the two giant Grimm that looked ready to attack their group. "In case you all have forgotten, there's still _two_ Alpha level Grimm nearby and frankly, I didn't plan to die today."

"Right! I've got this!" Ruby pulled away from the group and raced at the Deathstalker.

"Ruby!" Yang cried out as she tried to stop her sister, but missed grabbing the caped hood by a centimeter.

"No, that wasn't what I meant!" Naruto called after the speeder. He scowled when the Deathstalker knocked her away and the Nevermore trapped her by her cloak with feather-like projectiles. Naruto looked at Kiba, Lucky and then Hanabi while Yang ran to help her little sister. "Cover us!"

"Oh, sure, you go save the damsel in distress while we stand here and look pretty." Kiba grumbled as he drew Akamaru and fired at the Nevermore's feathers beside his partner while Naruto ran after his fellow blond. Kiba looked at the others and arched a brow. "Well? What are you all just standing there for? You heard him, give them cover fire! Come on!"

Naruto punched through one of the quill-like feathers that trapped Yang and started to clear a path. Yang scrambled around the feathers and her eyes were wide as the Deathstalker descended on her little sister.

"Ruby!"

Naruto turned and pulled Libertas Steel from his arm. With a single motion, he launched the shield like a discus. The sharp edge of Libertas Steel imbedded in the massive scorpion-like Grimm creature's left eye. Naruto then ran forward and jumped over the Deathstalker's claw to land on its head. He pulled Libertas Steel from the eye socket and back flipped off of the Deathstalker before its claw could slam into his side. He landed in front of Ruby's entrapped cape and broke the feather that pinned her.

"Run!" Naruto warned as he turned back to face the Grimm. His eyes went wide and he just barely managed to lift his shield before the Deathstalker batted him away. Naruto landed a good half-mile away in a roll and recovered in time to see a flash of white. When the flash cleared, Naruto had to blink before a small smile spread across his face.

"You are so childish. And dim-witted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style. And I suppose, I can be a bit...difficult...but if we're going to have to do this, we're going to do this together," Weiss said as she stood in front of Ruby after she had frozen the Deathstalker's claws. Weiss turned and frowned at Ruby. "So, if you agree to stop showing off, I'll try to be...nicer."

Ruby stared up at Weiss before she took the older girl's offered hand and stood up. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Really." Weiss huffed as she sheathed her rapier and the two hurried back to the group, after Yang embraced Ruby in what had to be the tightest hug ever delivered from an older sibling to a younger one.

Naruto's smile at the scene fell as he realized that the cover fire that had been fending off the Nevermore had stopped when Weiss broke rank. The others seemed to realize the same thing when the massive bird-like Grimm let out an enraged cry and flung more feathers at them.

Naruto threw his shield again and knocked feathers out of the sky before they could hit the three girls. He jumped and caught Libertas Steel on its rebound.

"Hanabi, blind the Nevermore while I focus on the feathers! Kiba, Lucky, keep pelting the Deathstalker so it doesn't try to free itself!" Naruto ordered as he made his way back to the group. The three followed his instructions without question; Kiba and Lucky advanced on the Deathstalker with their weapons' barrels flashing and Hanabi kept the Nevermore on the defense while Naruto looked at the other eight.

"Get your relics and go! We'll cover you!"

"You need our help to defeat them." Pyrrha protested with a frown as her spear shifted into a rifle form. Nora pulled her weapon out and grinned widely as it shifted into a grenade launcher.

"Tell us what to blow up, Cap!"

"We don't _need_ to defeat them," Ruby said as her eyes lit up. "Our objective is to find a partner and the relics!"

"Which we've already done, the rest of you can go while we hold them _off_!" Naruto grunted as he threw his shield again. Another wave of feathers were knocked from the sky and Naruto backed up to catch Libertas Steel on the rebound. He looked at Ruby and nodded. "Get the relics and go."

"Run away from the monsters and _not_ die? That's a plan I can get behind," Jaune said with a grin. He and Ruby ran to grab a relic and then reunited with the other six. Ruby led them away, but Jaune held back when he saw his partner hesitate. He grabbed Pyrrha's arm and pulled her with him. "C'mon, they've got this!"

Naruto smiled at the faith Jaune put in him, but frowned when he saw the ice that had trapped the Deathstalker shattered and the monster was freed once again. Lucky was smacked hard into the temple ruins that held the relics and collapsed a pillar, and Kiba was knocked back into Hanabi. Naruto threw his shield so that it bounced off of the Deathstalker's mask and drew the Grimm's attention.

"Over here!" Naruto beckoned at the scorpion as Libertas Steel collapsed around his arm. The Deathstalker let out a shrill yell and charged at him. Naruto ran to the collapsed pillar that Lucky knocked over and wrapped his arms around it. With a grunt of strain, Naruto slowly lifted the pillar up and turned to throw it awkwardly. Despite the awkward toss, the stone pillar slammed into the Deathstalker and knocked it onto its side.

"Damn, dude," Kiba said in awe of the strength displayed. He and Hanabi got to their feet and watched the Grimm struggle to get off of its back. "You knocked that thing flat on its ass."

Hanabi gasped. "Blue, he said a bad language word!"

"Funny, Bishop." Naruto mumbled with a few tired breaths as he offered his hand to the slightly dazed Lucky. "You alright?"

"I will be when the world stops spinning. Ugh." Lucky groaned and held her head. She took the offered hand and got to her feet slowly. Her right hand shone green and she pressed it against the back of her head. With a relieved sigh, Lucky turned to Naruto and grinned wryly. "I've never been so glad that I can heal minor wounds before with my semblance."

"Concussion?"

"Could've been. Where's the Nevermore?"

Naruto looked up and frowned as he failed to locate the Grimm. "Oh, wonderful."

"I bet he knows," Hanabi said as she pointed her bow at the Deathstalker that rolled onto its feet. "Doubt he'll tell us, though."

"So negative." Kiba frowned as his claws slipped out over his fingernails and he tightened his grip on Akamaru. "We could always persuade it – is it running away?"

The Deathstalker shrieked as it disappeared into the forest in the same direction that the others had run. The four hunters in training exchanged a look with each other before three of the four stared at the lone blond.

"...Well, I guess we follow it." Naruto decided.

Kiba sighed and sheathed Akamaru once again. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

"Stop bitching, Kitten." Lucky grinned at her partner. "Or are you trying to tell me that you'd rather take another ride on Lucky's Express Trip? It's a free one-way ticket..."

"Pass." Kiba drawled.

"Just so you know, Lucky, Blue doesn't like to hear that kind of language."

Naruto glared at his partner. "You know what, Bishop, just for that, _you_ take point."

"Worth it."

* * *

The four teens ran through the forest after their quarry, with Hanabi at the front and Naruto covering the rear. The blond had a small frown on his face as the other three conversed while they ran. Why? He was the topic of conversation...and it didn't make sense.

"I'm just saying, Ironwood's got to be kidding, right?" Kiba asked as he leapt from one tree branch to the next. "I mean, I don't know anyone who is _that_ innocent. ...Well, I don't know any _guy_ that innocent."

"Kiba, _what_ are you talking about?" Naruto asked in exasperation.

"He's wondering why you don't understand lewd humor." Lucky explained simply. She laughed when Naruto ran into a low branch and took it out after he turned to look at her with a slightly flustered look on his face. The surprise branch attack caused Naruto to trip over himself. "Nice dodge, Captain Atlas! Way to represent!"

"You alright back there, Blue?" Hanabi asked as they all stopped to look back at him. Kiba smirked in amusement while his partner laughed aloud.

"I'm fine! ...Just picking up my broken dignity." Naruto mumbled the second part to himself as he got back to his feet. While he brushed the remnants of the tree branch off of his face, he paused as he heard a loud boom in the distance to his left. Curious of the source, Naruto looked back at his partner and associates.

"...You guys hear that, too?" He asked.

Kiba dropped down from the trees and landed beside his partner. "You'd have to be deaf if you missed it."

"Or preoccupied with another giant Grimm," Lucky said, a statement to which Kiba agreed with a shrug.

"True."

"What's the plan, Blue?" Hanabi looked at her partner while she crouched down on her branch. She pointed a thumb over her shoulder in the direction they were heading. "We provide support and help the others or we go investigate. Your call."

"Since when?" Naruto asked with a small frown.

"Last I checked, you're the only one here with a military background," Hanabi said. Kiba and Lucky coughed into their fists and Hanabi rolled her eyes behind her goggles. "Sorry. You're the only one here that's famous _because_ of their military background, and you hold a high rank."

"I'm next in line for-oof!" Kiba grunted and glared at his partner after she elbowed him. He rubbed his side with his hand. "Cripes, girl, watch the metal arm!"

"Learn when to stuff a sock in it, then." Lucky shot back as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Naruto pursed his lips in thought. On one hand, Ruby and the others were a bunch of freshmen with no real tactical training against experienced or advanced Grimm like the Deathstalker and the Nevermore. However, another group of students could possibly be in over their heads or that third Grimm could make life very difficult if it made its way towards the others to fight alongside the Nevermore and Deathstalker. A storm of scenarios played out in Naruto's head, some where he goes to assist the others and the third Grimm arrives, some where it doesn't, a few where he goes to assist and everyone dies, and then there were some where he didn't go and the eight others do well.

"We'll go check it out, I'm sure the others can handle themselves. They did enroll in Beacon, and, as horrible as it sounds, we need to make sure they're ready for it by standing aside. Before we do, I think we need to understand what we're all capable of." Naruto decided. The other three nodded in agreement with his decision and a bit of the weight on his shoulders fell. He looked towards the source and narrowed his eyes. "Based on the footfalls, I'm guessing we've got something about the size of a Goliath on our hands, but its in no hurry to get anywhere yet. That's good for us. So, Kiba, you're up first."

"Well, aside from my superior senses given to me by my Faunus heritage–"

"Such a humble kitten," Lucky said teasingly.

"Jealousy doesn't suit you, _partner_." Kiba smirked at Lucky while Hanabi snorted and Naruto sighed. Kiba held his hand up and his claws slid out over his fingernails. "My families' claws are strong enough to cut through steel, thanks to the centuries of a special herb's influence on our tribe's livelihood. My weapon, Akamaru, is a shot-blade, no shift necessary. Faster for me to switch between Akamaru's gun or blade that way, and cheaper to maintain, too."

"Good to know. Your semblance?" Naruto asked. Kiba grinned at him before he disappeared from view. The three looked around for the Faunus as they assumed it was a sort of teleportation or speed semblance.

"I can turn myself and anything I'm in physical contact with invisible. Comes in a lot of help when you don't want to be noticed by bigots." Kiba's voice came from Naruto's left, and when Naruto turned, the Faunus returned to plain sight with a wide grin on his face. "That and it makes sabotaging some White Fang scum that dare to call themselves Faunus a lot easier. Real Faunus don't stoop to the level of those that hate us. If I'm going to change the world, I'm going to do it with my head held high, and not hiding under a Grimm mask like those assholes."

Hanabi gasped and pointed at Kiba childishly. "Blue, he said a bad language word!"

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose while Kiba and Lucky laughed.

"Thank you, Bishop." Naruto glowered at his partner. "Why don't you go next?"

"Sure thing, Ironwood-y." Hanabi sighed as her joke flew way over Naruto's head based on the confused look on his face. "Man, your military sounds like no fun."

"It is mostly comprised of robots at this point," Lucky said with a smirk. "All those buddy-buddy things in the movies are inaccurate."

"Haruno..." Naruto frowned at the girl, who shrugged, before he looked back at his partner. "Hanabi?"

"Yeah, yeah." Hanabi dropped down and pushed her goggles up to her forehead. "My eyes are the result of an augment experiment done a _long_ time ago in Mistral, and it turned some poor criminal into a noble when he survived the procedure after he married someone in my family. I can see things nearly eight times farther than anyone else can. If there were such a thing as Avian Faunus, I think my family would be the first synthetic Faunus species."

"I think by definition, you are anyway," Kiba said with a small frown of disgust. "You were turned into a pseudo-Faunus and became nobility while _our_ nobility is not recognized by the Four Kingdoms of Remnant? That is total bull-!"

"Kiba." Naruto cut in with a frown aimed at the rightfully upset Faunus. "We can discuss the political unfairness of all this after we become better associated with one another. For right now, we need to get our strengths out in the open so that we can safely go investigate and possibly engage whatever is stomping around out there."

"Can I just say that I think we're wasting time by standing here," Lucky said pointedly as she looked at the blond Atlesian native.

"Point taken. Let's walk and talk," Naruto said as he led the group towards the sound's origin. "So, you have good eyesight then, Hanabi?"

"Good is an understatement," Hanabi said with a snort. She pulled her quiver from her back and snapped it out into its bow form. "This is Firecracker, my bladed-bow. It uses Dust that are placed in this cylindrical chamber. Lets me use fire, ice, and lightning dust with ease."

"No wind or lava?" Lucky asked.

"Wind is far too uncontrollable for my weapon and lava...there's mixed results when I use it." Hanabi admitted with a shrug. It was good to know her weaknesses. "But anyway, I use Firecracker because it coincides well with my semblance, which allows me to see things differently than normal."

"Can you clarify on that?" Kiba asked with his scowl still in place.

"X-ray, infrared, night vision, really if it is an ocular ability unavailable to Humans, then I've got it when my semblance is active," Hanabi said as she pulled her goggles down over her eyes. "Downside? My eyes can't handle the sunlight, so I wear these dark lenses to protect my eyes. Which, admittedly, isn't so bad. My older cousin has a condition where he has to wear specially crafted glasses otherwise he can obliterate a room with his ocular blast."

"Must suck when he wants to ogle someone," Lucky said after a whistle. There was a louder boom and the ground shook, which made the group pause. "I think we're getting closer."

"Stick to details and quiet down. Lucky, tell them what I know," Naruto said as he walked a bit faster, but with a lot more caution.

"I'm a medic, my semblance can heal simple wounds and minor head trauma. Ironwood and I don't know each other that well since he nearly got me killed, but after that I learned that my great-great-grandfather served alongside Naruto's in the War," Lucky said with a grin. She clapped her right hand on her silver bicep. "Cherry Blossom here is a recreation of G.G.'s prosthetic, but modified to enhance my left arm's strength. With enough Aura pumped into it, I could bring a five story building down, but that's only if I absolutely need to. Doing that would knock me out for a month."

"And your bladed gun?" Kiba asked his partner.

Lucky lowered her right arm to her hip and patted the holstered weapon. "Skorpion? He's been passed down the Haruno tree since G.G. died."

"And the words carved in the blade?" Hanabi inquired. She shrugged at the look Kiba gave her. "Eyes like a hawk, kitten."

"Don't call me that," Kiba said before he looked back at his partner.

"'Until the end of the line' are the words that my G.G. and Naruto's used when they made a plan. It's become a sort of family motto," Lucky said with a smile. "No matter what, we'll always help our friends. Until the last Haruno falls, we're loyal to our friends...Unless said friend breaks into our dressing room while we're nearly nude and a bomb goes off in our favorite clothing store."

"I said I was sorry!" Naruto hissed over his shoulder, the faintest of red on his cheeks.

Lucky grinned. "I know, but as a girl, I have to give you a hard time for it."

"Ugh, why are girls so weird?" Naruto asked himself. Kiba walked up beside him and pat him on the shoulder.

"There, there, Ironwood. It's a question all men ask themselves," Kiba said with a knowing nod. He leaned in and whispered conspiratorially to his fellow male. "Honestly, I think they're all from another planet and just use us as breeding stock."

"...Well, it wouldn't be the _strangest_ thing I've ever heard. I guess it's my turn. My semblance-"

" _Coming through!_ "

The warning cut Naruto off as he and the other four ducked under a blur that flew overhead and knocked down a few trees behind them. The blond amongst the four teens stood back up and instinctively turned to throw a left hook with Libertas Steel unfolded over his arm. The sharp edge of the shield imbedded itself into the torso of a silver metal behemoth with a Grimm's mask-like face that lacked the coloration.

The humanoid machine looked down at Naruto from its ten foot height. Its hands had three thick fingers and a large thumb instead of the natural four long slime digits that Naruto had. The machine was built like a massive bodybuilder decided to make a suit of armor, but the angular structure made it clear that this was not a suit like what some Atlas soldiers used. Its 'eyes' were bright green lights that didn't dim in the slightest.

" _Obstacle detected. Threat analysis._ " A green beam of light shot out and scanned over the blond through the slits in the mask-like face. " _Scan complete. Identified as Colonel Roger Ironwood, known identity of Remnant's Defender, Colonel Atlas. Threat level: Nine. Secondary target acquired._ "

"Threat level what?" Naruto asked before the humanoid machine backhanded him to the side with a loud smack. Naruto barreled through trees and knocked a few down before he came to a stop ten feet away. He rolled onto his side with a groan and slowly got to his feet. A loud, ground shaking boom alerted Naruto's danger senses and he quickly raised his shield to halt the behemoth's downward strike.

"...We just _had_ to go investigate the noise, didn't we?" Kiba asked with a groan as he drew Akamaru while Hanabi aimed at the machine with Firecracker and Lucky did the same with Skorpion. They moved to attack the monster

" _No, wait! Don't attack it!_ " The same voice from before called out. There was a low hum of an engine as a mechanical man about Naruto's height, colored red and gold, landed between Kiba and the machine that continued to pummel down on Naruto, causing no damage thanks to the shield between Naruto's body and the machine's fist. The metallic man had a bright blue circle in the center of his chest that were the same color of its reflective eye.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea – Move, before I move you," Lucky said with a frown as her left arm grabbed the man's shoulder. There was a low hum before a blue burst of energy fired from the palm of the man's hand into Lucky's gut. Lucky was knocked back into a tree and cradled her stomach with a groan.

" _Sorry, can't let you do that. If you guys attack the Autonomous Robotic Soldier Intended to Neutralize Life-forms_ (A.R.S.I.N.L.) _, it will attack you. I doubt you guys are as durable as I am._ " The red and gold man held his hands at his side and his palms shone before he started to fly off of the ground with visible rockets in his feet. " _Play it smart and just sit this one out, okay? Let the master show you how its done._ "

The red and gold man turned and rocketed at the machine, firing two blue streams of energy at its back before his leg was grabbed. The three teens watched with a grimace as the self-assured metal man was whipped back into the forest and knocked down more trees before the A.R.S.I.N.L. resumed its assault on Naruto.

"Wow, thanks 'master'. You sure showed us how to handle it." Hanabi grumbled as she rolled Firecracker's Dust chamber so that the yellow bar aligned with the barrel of her bow. She took aim at A.R.S.I.N.L. with a smirk on her face. "Time for a nap, big boy."

* * *

 **AN: Oh, the cliffhangers, how I love them.**

 **Give me your thoughts!**

 **RELUNKIED!**


	7. Initiation: Finale

**Disclaimer: Should probably say this in the other chapters, but does it really have to be said? I don't own Naruto, Marvel, or RWBY.**

 **Fame and Shield**

 **Initiation: Finale**

* * *

"Time for a nap, big boy."

The yellow Dust fired from Hanabi's bow and collided with A.R.S.I.N.L.'s back. The machine stopped and jerked as the lightning-based attack electrocuted it, which allowed Naruto to scramble from his hole and return to his partner's side.

"You alright, Ironwood?" Kiba asked as he kept Akamaru's barrel aimed at the machine's back.

"I can't feel my left arm and I'm pretty sure my spine is bruised." Naruto answered with a heavy sigh as he cradled his arm against his stomach. "I'll be fine in a minute. Where's Lucky?"

"Present and accounted for." Lucky mumbled as she walked up to their side with her glowing green hand on her chest. "The walking tin can used a concussive Aura blast and got through my barrier."

"Walking tin can?" Naruto asked. There was another low hum of an engine before the weakly hovering 'tin can' landed on Naruto's other side. The gold plated face slid up and the face of a tired young man around their age was revealed. It was a shared thought that the boy needed to shave.

"Nice to see you again, Captain," he said. His brows furrowed. "I figured you would have gone to Atlas' school, all things considering. Seeing you at Beacon certainly wasn't something I'd thought would happen until the Festival this year."

"Mr. Crisp, for a man with a genius-level I.Q., you're an idiot when it comes to reading people." Naruto returned curtly. He nodded to the slowly recovering machine. "What's the deal with big, tall and gruesome?"

"It seems that back during the War, some of the Defenders doubted their victory. Guess who was one of them?" The teen asked.

"Oh, so it's a Crisp designed War Machine. Wonderful."

"Technically, it's the Defender's War Machine."

"Hey, boys, stop bickering," Lucky said as she glared at Crisp and Naruto. Her gaze went from the latter to the former with her next two questions. "Care to explain how you know each other? And can I get an apology for the shot to the stomach, please?"

"Sorry for the repulser shot, but I had to keep you from doing something stupid, Pinky. It's not my fault you wouldn't listen to my warnings," Crisp said firmly.

"Don't start a fight." Naruto warned the young man. He looked back at his friends. "Crisp these are my friends Lucky Lucy Haruno and Kiba Black, and the one with the mouth is Hanabi Bishop, my partner. Guy and gals, meet Shikamaru Crisp."

"Wait, like, the _billionaire_ CEO of Crisp Corporation, Shikamaru Crisp?" Kiba asked.

"How quick on the trigger your friends always seem to be, Captain," Shikamaru said dryly. His face-mask slid back down into place and locked with a muted clang. " _Yes, I'm the same guy. Can we focus on the problem at hand, the Autonomous-_ "

"Just call it the A.R.S.I.N.L., will you?" Lucky grumbled as she moved her hand to Naruto's back. The sudden surge of warmth and soothing made Naruto hiss sharply before he sighed in relief. Lucky then grabbed his arm and began to heal that.

" _A.R.S.I.N.L., huh? Catchy. I like it. I think I'm going to claim that._ "

"Crisp!" Naruto snapped as he watched the machine begin to turn towards them with less arcs of lightning passing over its frame. "That big metal thing over there is going to hit us. _Hard_. What can it do?"

" _It could fly a bit, but I already had it chasing me across the ocean from Haven, so its fuel is drained. Impressive strength as you know and..._ "

Shikamaru trailed off when a lot of clicking and shifting came from the A.R.S.I.N.L., and the would-be hunters looked back at it. Its hands had shifted into two, five feet long half-barrels that were slammed together to form a massive cannon. A loud hum came from the large barrel before a massive blast of purple energy fired at the five. The five teens moved from the vicinity as the energy blast took out a tree and the tree behind it.

"So, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that it has a big cannon?" Naruto asked as he got back to his feet. "Maybe fires some sort of purple energy or something along those lines?"

" _Yeah, I was getting to that._ " Shikamaru grunted in annoyance as he favored his right leg, the red metal dented around the ankle. " _And my Aura beams can't cut through its armor. They leave a hell of a dent, though._ "

"Kiba!" Naruto looked over at the Faunus as he provided cover fire with his shotgun. "Can your claws cut through it?"

"Depends on the material!"

" _It's an old steel construct laced with runes from Atlas' old Dust Mystics._ " Shikamaru explained as he used the concussive repulsers in his palms to fire at the machine's head.

Kiba grinned and sheathed Akamaru on his back. His claws flicked out over his nails and he looked at Naruto.

"Just give me an opening, Ironwood, and I'll rip that cannon to shreds," he said.

Naruto nodded and threw his shield at A.R.S.I.N.L.'s head. Libertas Steel bounced off of the robot and drew its attention to Naruto as he caught the defensive weapon. The Atlesian soldier-turned-Huntsman-in-training quickly raised his shield up in front of him to protect himself from the cannon fire he's assaulted with. With a grunt of exertion, Naruto deflected one of the blasts back at A.R.S.I.N.L. and stunned the machine when he did so.

Kiba capitalized on the opening and rushed forward with his head low. He jumped up and swung around the barrel like a gymnast on asymmetric bars. His claws dug into the barrel and after the second rotation, Kiba turned and jumped off of A.R.S.I.N.L.'s head to land back beside Naruto. He retracted his claws and grinned at the machine when the cannon dismantled.

"Heh, piece of cake," Kiba said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Who wants to break it?"

" _Not bad, but not good enough. That's just the big gun,_ " Shikamaru said as he pointed at the machine.

" _System malfunction report. Error. HPE Cannon damaged beyond repair. Ejecting primary weapon._ " A.R.S.I.N.L. was kind enough to elaborate on the damage done to its weapon before the two halves of barrels on either end of the arms detached and landed on the ground with twin thuds. Two large blades slid out from within. " _Insistantium blades, operational._ "

"Insistantium? What kind of made up metal is that? Some sort of Alien tech?" Hanabi asked with a snort. She lifted Firecracker once more and smirked as another round of yellow dust was prepared. "Big whoop. Let me counter with my own _shocking_ display."

"Hanabi, no!" Naruto tried to stop his teammate, but his warning came too late. The blast that came from Firecracker was straight and true as it flew at A.R.S.I.N.L.'s head. A.R.S.I.N.L. shocked the young archer when it crossed the two blades in front of its head and reflected the lightning blast back at her. Naruto threw Libertas Steel so that it passed in front of Hanabi at a slight angle, ricocheting the blast into the sky before the dust infused blast exploded in the sky above.

"W-What the hell? How did it do that?" Hanabi asked as she backtracked away from the approaching machine. The shield that saved her seconds ago bounced off a tree and struck A.R.S.I.N.L. in the head before it returned to Naruto's hand.

"C'mon, you overgrown bucket of bolts, let's see whose' insistantium is stronger!" Naruto beckoned as he reattached Libertas Steel to his left arm. A.R.S.I.N.L. charged at him and brought its blades up before they descended down to collide with Naruto's shield. The ground beneath Naruto's feet caved in, but Naruto didn't buckle.

" _I'll be damned. The shield really is made of a hybrid insistantium-steel alloy_ ," Shikamaru said under his breath while the other three provided cover fire with their weapons. He lifted his arm and lowered his fist down as a targeting bracket popped up at the wrist. " _Asuma, please tell me that I still have the ATM loaded in the Mark VIII._ "

"[Sir, it would not be wise to fire the anti-tank missile with Captain Ironwood in that much proximity to the target.]" The voice of a robotic elder man with a noticeably thick Atlesian noble's accent came through.

" _I know it's not wise, but that wasn't the question was it?_ "

"[Of course not, sir. There is a missile still unused, but you must provide the-]"

" _Bypass_ all _security settings, Asuma, this is a Level Green! I repeat, this is a Level Green!_ " Shikamaru barked at the artificial intelligence while he watched the blond soldier get pushed into the ground by his ancestor's war machine.

Asuma sighed. "[As you wish, sir.]"

" _Captain, you might want to get some distance!_ " Shikamaru called out to Naruto as the panels on his right arm folded open and a ten inch missile popped up. The end burst to life and fired right at A.R.S.I.N.L.

Naruto heard the warning and stopped resisting the machine's efforts. He turned to the right and slipped out from under A.R.S.I.N.L.'s insistantium blades. The machine imbedded itself into the soil and struggled to get free. With his foe trapped, Naruto quickly scrambled to his feet and jumped towards Shikamaru as the missile flew into A.R.S.I.N.L.'s left arm and detonated on impact. The explosion created a large mushroom cloud that worried the observing teachers.

Naruto coughed out some smoke and took the offered red hand to get back to his feet. Shikamaru's helmet's piercing eyes shone through the quickly dissipating visual obstruction, and remained focused on the target.

"Damn, man, isn't that overkill?" Kiba asked over his coughing fit. His partner was at his side after she cleared Hanabi's lungs.

" _No, it didn't even leave a significant dent in the chassis._ " Shikamaru scowled as the now one-armed robot pulled its other arm free and turned towards them.

"Look at the impact area though, the force was enough to break through the joint," Naruto said as he wiped some of the smudge on his face away. "Got another missile to use on its head?"

"[Unfortunately, not, Captain. Mr. Crisp, power levels are nearing empty and all reserve power has been directed to the repulsers.]"

" _...The impact did the damage, not the explosion...Asuma! Redirect all power to the Aura Generator! Captain, think your friends can immobilize it without you?_ " Shikamaru asked while he looked at the Atlesian soldier.

"That depends, you got a plan?" Naruto asked.

" _I'll need your help, but we need it immobilized and distracted for a couple of minutes,_ " Shikamaru said.

Naruto turned to the other three. "You heard him! Cover us and keep it down for a few minutes!"

"Easier said than done," Hanabi said with a scowl as she took another shot with more Yellow Dust while Lucky used Skorpion to shoot A.R.S.I.N.L. in the side. The machine ignored the automatic weapon and deflected Hanabi's shot away from its body with its remaining blade. The archer scowled as her dust blast exploded in the far distance. "I'm running low on my lightning dust!"

Naruto frowned and looked at Shikamaru. "Does it have thermography vision?"

" _Too advanced of tech, even for the Crisp Corp. Scientists back then,_ " Shikamaru said.

"Good. Hanabi, ice the knee! Kiba, keep it distracted and then disappear! Lucky, I'm going to need you to give it Granny Haruno's sleep agent!" Naruto instructed while the circle in Shikamaru's armor's chest began to illuminate brightly. The shield-bearing blond turned back to the armored teen. "What do I need to do?"

" _Do what you do best and protect yourself with that shield._ " Shikamaru held his hands on either side of the glowing circle in his chest. He grunted as his left leg, the limb assaulted by A.R.S.I.N.L. earlier, started to buckle. " _Asuma! Left leg supports!_ "

Shikamaru's left leg opened three panels up and thin metal rods extended out to pierce the ground like a tripod. With the added support, Shikamaru was able to stand on his own again and nodded at Naruto. The blond nodded back and lifted Libertas Steel up in front of his face.

" _You have to get the angle just right. As soon as they get it down, I'm going to fire._ " Shikamaru warned.

"You focus on what you need to do and I'll keep my eye on the machine," Naruto said as he watched his partner and friends keep the war machine's attention on them.

A.R.S.I.N.L. took several shots to the face from Akamaru's shotgun, and though the bullets did little damage, they kept the machine focused on the teenaged Faunus. Kiba grinned when A.R.S.I.N.L. seemed to have enough shotgun pellets fired at its face and tried to skewer him on its blade. He vanished from sight and easily evaded the machine's stab that drove the blade into the dirt.

With Kiba out of the way, Hanabi had a clear shot at the war machine's right knee and fired a blue-white blast of dust from her bow. The element-infused shot collided with the metal and the joint flash froze instantly. A few more 'arrows' were aimed at the left foot and the remaining arm to render A.R.S.I.N.L. immobile and unable to free itself from the position it was in.

"SHANNARO!" Lucky cried out as she ran in from behind with her left fist back. The silver arm let out a soft tone as it charged with her Aura, and the strength of Lucky's punch was quadrupled. That was just enough to instantly shatter A.R.S.I.N.L.'s right knee joint into itty bitty crystals of ice and metal, and make the mechanical monstrosity collapse to its one hand and other knee.

"Clear the area!" Naruto cried out to the three when a low hum came from Shikamaru's armor. A massive beam of pure white aura fired from the generator in Shikamaru's chest plate and Naruto quickly adjusted the angle of Libertas Steel slightly so that the beam would ricochet off of the insistantium-steel shield perfectly to hit A.R.S.I.N.L.'s exposed head.

The aura beam's collision with the mechanical behemoth's head was not a quick and easy end, but one that ended with a large and loud bang. The force of A.R.S.I.N.L.'s head exploding knocked all five teens to the ground and toppled every tree in a three mile radius.

When the smoke cleared once more and the five Hunters-in-Training returned to their feet, they let out victorious whoops of joy. Or, in the cases of Shikamaru and Naruto, shared grins with each other. With their last resort weapon defeated, The Defenders' Four Kingdom War could officially be declared over.

* * *

"You know, I'm really going to miss this. This was nice. Let's do it again sometime," Shikamaru – who had retracted his armor's helmet – said to the four Beacon students as he oversaw the remains of A.R.S.I.N.L. get loaded onto a Mistral-bound Crisp Corp. private airship. The sun was starting to lower and the initiation was almost done, but none of the five teens wanted to risk anything while they awaited Shikamaru's company's R&D crew to arrive.

"You could transfer to Beacon," Naruto said with a light smile. He glanced over at his partner and two friends while a 'professional' checked them over, something that _greatly_ insulted Lucky. Naruto let it slide and ignored all of Lucky's complaints. He considered it payback for all the teasing they pulled on him earlier.

"And leave Cho G. alone at Haven? No way. Besides, I told you I was going to get a license and do something good with this suit," Shikamaru said as he gestured at his armor. He looked Naruto over for a second and pursed his lips. "You're not really planning on using that recreation of your great-great-grandfather's old uniform...are you?"

"Well, I didn't want to wear mine." Naruto countered and picked at his jacket. "Besides, I like the classic look. Makes me feel, I dunno, patriotic."

"I think you look spangle-y, but that's just my opinion," Shikamaru said with a shrug. He looked up as an attractive older woman dressed in a suit brought over a suitcase to him. "Ah, thank you, Linda."

Linda just nodded at him while Naruto stared at the suitcase curiously. He was even more curious when Shikamaru turned to him and held the suitcase out.

"Don't change into it now, but, think of it as a gift." Shikamaru gave a small lopsided grin as Naruto took the case and cracked it open. Naruto's eyes widened slightly and he looked up at Shikamaru in mild surprise, while the teen billionaire smiled back at him. "I still remember that group of Commandos that barged into my captors' cave, only to be attacked by the Mark One, and...call me old fashioned, but a gesture like that needs to be rewarded with something more than a simple medal of honor."

"...I...Don't know what to say, Shikamaru."

"Again, its just a gift."

Naruto closed the suitcase and held it in his left hand at his side. He smiled as he offered his hand to the armored billionaire.

"Thank you, Shikamaru. I hope you have a nice semester," he said.

Shikamaru grinned and took the hand in a tight grip. "A pleasure, Naruto. I wish you the same."

"Understood, I'll let him know," Linda said into an earpiece. She cleared her throat and took a small step forward. "I hate to interrupt, Mr. Crisp, but the ceremonies are starting in an hour and Mr. Flagg requests your presence."

"Ah, that lovable green oaf. He just can't live without me," Shikamaru said as he pulled his hand away from Naruto's.

Shikamaru snapped his fingers and the armored suit opened in the back, allowing Shikamaru to step out and adjust the collar of the black school uniform he wore. The suit folded down into a red and gold suitcase, which Shikamaru then picked up and carried with him to the private airship. He stopped at the doorway and turned back to Naruto, who was now accompanied by the slightly displeased figures that were Hanabi, Kiba and Lucky.

Shikamaru raised his free hand into a far-too-serious-to-be-sincere salute to the former soldier. Naruto chuckled and gave his own dismissive salute that made a grin spread across the genius' face. The four Beacon students watched the young billionaire board his company airship with his assistant in tow and waved goodbye as it slowly raised up and turned towards Haven.

"So, what'd the big buck boy give you, Blue? Big bucks?" Hanabi asked with a light smile as she peered at the suitcase curiously.

"Why not just use your semblance to find out?" Kiba asked her with an arched brow.

"That would be an invasion of privacy. Besides, I'd first have to look past his junk, which I'm really not curious about," Hanabi said with a bit of an uncomfortable grimace on her face. "Did it once back home and let me tell you, there are some things that some kids do not want to see their parents doing."

"...Alright then." Kiba nodded in understanding to that. He could smell the pheromones and hear the sounds when his mom brought a 'guest' home for the evening. Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, the Faunus next-in-line looked at Naruto curiously. "So, like she said, what'd the billionaire give you?"

"Just a token of friendship," Naruto said as he watched the airship fly off towards Mistral. His grip on the suitcase tightened slightly as he turned back towards Beacon. "Come on. We've got a ceremony of our own to get to."

* * *

"...hereby name you Team ALMD (Almond), led by Arnie Anderson." Ozpin finished introducing one of the new freshmen teams. The young boy dressed in russet brown clothes with two swords at his hips blinked and stuttered while the audience applauded the four teens on the stage. From where he sat between his partner and Kiba, who had Lucky seated on his other side, Naruto watched the shocked boy on the stage lead his new team off while the headmaster of Beacon called for the next team, comprised of four boys. Each had an overconfident smirk or posture that made Naruto frown. It reminded him too much of some of his former colleagues back in Atlas.

"Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Russell Thrush and Sky Lark. You obtained the black bishop pieces, and so, you shall be known as Team CRDL (Cardinal). Led by Cardin Winchester," Ozpin said with a nod to the four gathered before him while their displayed images were set in front of a red banner with Cardin's family crest embroidered on it. They nodded to him and walked off of the stage. While the older students continued to applaud Team CRDL, Ozpin turned to the crowd and his eyes landed on Naruto's group for a brief second before he looked up at the monitor.

"That's our cue," Hanabi said softly as she noticed the Headmaster's gaze in their direction. The four rose and walked on stage, with Lucky standing at the front of the line while Hanabi was at the end so that she would be seen among her taller soon-to-be teammates. The applause hushed quickly and a few murmurs were heard through the crowd, which prompted Naruto to roll his eyes while Kiba grinned and elbowed him in the side.

"Hanabi Bishop, Captain Naruto Ironwood, Kiba Black and Lucky Lucy Haruno," Ozpin said to the four teens gathered on stage beside him. He held an amused gleam in his eye when Lucky subtly pumped her fist at her side for her 'nickname' being announced. "The four of you retrieved the white pawns, and rather than face off against a Grimm of great feat, you assisted a wayward student with his technical problems."

Kiba snorted in amusement, which earned him a light nudge from Naruto to keep him quiet.

"For this – and because Team NHKL (Nickel) is still on our active roster – you shall be known as Team NHBL (Noble), led by Captain Naruto Ironwood," Ozpin said with a nod to the four as their faces were aligned on the large screen in front of a navy blue background with a silver star in the center.

There were whistles and cheers along with the applause from the older students as well as from their fellow freshmen. Naruto gave Ozpin a small salute, which was replicated by his new teammates before they left the stage. Naruto and his team returned to their seats and watched with smiles on their faces as Juane Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren were called onto the stage. They were named Team JNPR (Juniper), with an aptly colored banner behind their faces on the screen, which would be led by Jaune Arc.

"Way to go, Arc!" Kiba hooted while his team applauded for the stunned leader. Jaune was given a punch to the arm by Pyrrha that knocked him to the ground and earned a room of laughter. Kiba looked over at Naruto with a grin on his face. "They grow up so fast, don't they, Ironwood?"

"Joke later, Kiba," Naruto said quietly, though the smile on his face showed he was amused by the Faunus' words. When the applause and laughter from Jaune's fall receded once more, the four all-girl group comprised of Yang Xiao-Long, Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose walked on stage. Ozpin announced their names to the room and smiled slightly as he announced their team acronym.

"For recovering the white knights, you four shall be Team RWBY (Ruby)," the headmaster said to the four girls as a dark red banner appeared behind their faces on the monitor. A lighter red rose with a black outline appeared on the banner as Ozpin continued. "Led by Ruby Rose."

"I'm so proud of you!" Yang exclaimed while she gave a tight hug to her younger sibling.

"Yang! Air!"

Naruto watched the exchange with a smile and continued to applaud his fellow team leader. He chuckled as his team made various notes on the girls' reactions, such as Weiss' shock and apparent annoyance, Blake's slight indifference, and as Hanabi so elegantly put it "Thunder Tits stealing the spotlight from her sister."

 _Well, at least I can expect this year to be interesting,_ Naruto thought idly as Team RWBY walked off stage and Ozpin announced that the Initiation was over. He glanced over at his new team and his smile widened slightly. _Very interesting._

* * *

 **AN: Man, that 'episode' took forever to get through, didn't it? Phew, now that it's over, the real fun begins.**

 **Let's see how NHBL shakes things up, shall we?**

 **REBIRCH!**


	8. Friends and Allies

**Disclaimer: You know the drill...**

 **Fame and Shield**

 **Friends and Allies**

* * *

The sky was red with the beginnings of a sunrise when Naruto awoke the next morning. The blond rolled over in his bed to look at the electronic alarm clock he'd plugged in the night before. The digital white numbers showed that it was nearly half an hour past five. Naruto let out a deep sigh before he sat up and rubbed his face.

Sometimes he hated his decision to enlist at such a young age, but his habits did have their merits.

Naruto slipped from his covers and went to his duffle bag that was set at the foot of his bed to grab a change of clothes. He then stepped into the bathroom for a quick shower to rinse off the sweat and grime from the previous day. When Naruto came out of the bathroom, still a bit damp from his shower, he wore navy training sweatpants and a tight grey shirt with a blue star in the center that clung to his chest like a second skin.

Not because it was a size too small or because Naruto liked to flaunt his body, but because the shirt was designed to do this. It was a microfiber-crafted shirt designed to absorb sweat during training, to keep the body cool and reduce overheating. That and it was a gift from Ten-Ten Dugan. The girl was kind enough to have it specially made for his sixteenth birthday and anniversary of graduation from Atlas' Officer Academy.

Once he had pulled his training sneakers on, Naruto grabbed his issued scroll and sent a quick message to the others. Their scrolls buzzed or chimed, but the other three remained blissfully asleep in the standard set up their dorm had. After a moment to stare at Kiba, who had somehow spun completely around in his bed with one of his feet on top of the headrest and the other dangling over the floor, Naruto chuckled and left his team's room as quietly as he could.

Before he began any sort of training, Naruto made a brief stop at the lunch hall to grab a quick breakfast shake and a protein bar. His impromptu 'pre-workout' meal gave him the right push to start his morning run that he'd missed out on over the past week. Naruto left the lunch hall with a near spring in his step before he started the light run around campus.

* * *

A dark-skinned young man dressed in green running shorts and a sweatshirt breathed calmly as he ran the concrete walk that encircled Beacon's main campus. The runner absentmindedly enjoyed the quiet tranquility he experienced so early in the morning. There was no mass of students that could be found during the free days and better yet, there were no newbies that would want to ask him questions or for directions – especially since the initiation was the day before.

The tranquil runner's name was Samuel Falcone.

Sam, as he preferred to be called, was a fourth-year student at Beacon and was excited as well as dismayed that his time at the prestigious Huntsman/Huntress Academy was almost up. He'd gone a long way from being the scrawny, hot-tempered 'bird-brained' jerk he was four years ago and that was due in most part to his teammates' support. Now, Sam was a lean, mean, Grimm-killing machine and took his upcoming job as one of Remnant's protectors seriously. Since his second year, after his team leader whipped him into shape, he'd been making runs around the school campus. Each month, he got a little bit faster and managed to make his runs a minute or so shorter. Thus far, he's completed his runs in thirty minutes.

"On your left."

Sam arched a brow as a powerfully built teen ran past him on his left. He didn't get a good look at his face, but the blond hair was certainly familiar. A soft amused chuckle left Sam's lips and he continued his relaxed run around the campus. If the new hotshot wanted to burn himself out, Sam wasn't going to stop him. Sometimes the hotshots had to learn the hard way that being the best wasn't about training the body.

About ten minutes later, with the sun a bit higher than it was before and a few students tiredly making their way to the lunch hall, Sam frowned when he heard the sounds of rapid footsteps.

"On your left."

 _No way_. Sam watched the blond run by him on the left once more, at the same pace as the last time. Before he could get annoyed, Sam shook his head and continued with his run. Maybe the new hotshot just had a semblance that gave him more energy and speed. Wouldn't be the first time that Sam met a speed freak at Beacon, but it would be the first that he met one who trained at a low setting. Most speedsters just amped their speed with their Semblance and left it at that.

A bit proud of the new blood for taking this initiative, Sam continued his morning run and stole a glance at his watch. He still had a while before his team would want to meet up to train before classes at nine. With this in mind, Sam refocused on his goal, to complete his run and then go get a real breakfast.

Another ten minutes went by and Sam was starting to breath a bit heavier than when he started. Then, as he ran by the dorms for the guest students of Mistral, Atlas and Vacuo, Sam heard it. It was the voice of that blond freshman that had passed him _twice_ already.

"On your left." His announcement was predictably followed by the well-built teen passing Sam on the left and Sam sighed.

"Yeah, on the left, I got it," Sam said between his light breaths. That kid's semblance had to be something special. Sam could've sworn that he hardly looked tired, but that couldn't be the case unless he's been going at the same speed. Which, in itself, was not impossible, but extremely unlikely. Shaking the thoughts of the freshman's semblance away, Sam focused on his run. He was almost done and then he didn't need to worry about it again until tomorrow morning.

Fifteen minutes. Nearly fifteen minutes passed before Sam heard that damnable pounding of footfalls again. He took a glance over his shoulder and glared at the younger teen for a moment. Okay, this was not funny. Sam was drenched, and while he knew that was because of his sweatshirt, he was also feeling the burn. The blond, on the other hand, was not sweating _and_ he looked like he did when he _first_ passed Sam up.

"Don't say it. Don't you dare say it," Sam said to himself as he kept his gaze ahead. Either the younger teen didn't hear him or he was just a dick, but those three words left his lips and made Sam let out an annoyed growl.

"On your left."

"Yeah! I see that! God!" Sam pushed himself to chase after the blond who quickly became further and further away. With labored pants, Sam slowed down to a walk and went over to rest at the base of a nearby tree. Sam slowly lowered himself to the ground and ducked his head between his knees. He overexerted himself in his attempt to catch the freshman. Sam sighed in disappointment, more so in his inability to control his emotions than his inability to outpace the freshman.

 _She is not going to like that,_ Sam thought with a grimace as he lifted his head and rested it against the bark of the tree behind him.

"Need the nurse?" Sam looked up and let out a bittersweet chuckle as the lightly panting blond walked up to him and rested his hands on his hips.

"What I need is a new set of lungs and I don't think she offers that," Sam said with a wry smile on his face. The blond let out a light chuckle of his own and Sam gave him a look of awe mixed with a bit of envy. "You just ran like, thirteen miles in thirty minutes."

"Really? I must still be tired." The blond mused jokingly.

"Oh really? You should be ashamed of yourself. You should take another lap," Sam said with a look to the sidewalk just over at the side and then looked back at the blond. "Did you just take it? I assume you just took it."

"I'm fast, but not that fast." Naruto chuckled as he offered his hand to the older boy. "Naruto Ironwood."

"Yeah, I know that. Sam Falcone." Sam introduced himself as he took the hand and got back to his feet. The older student released the hand and leveled his breathing out as he looked Naruto over. "You're the Atlas Super-Soldier, huh?"

"Is that what they've been calling me in Vale?" Naruto asked, an amused smile on his face.

"No, just what my teammate Nix calls you." Sam waved it off. "Don't take it to heart. He thinks you're some kind of secret weapon developed by Atlas for an upcoming war. Have to admit, he might not be as crazy as I thought he was."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Scrawny little kid goes into Atlas' Officer Academy and three years later _you_ come out? C'mon, _something_ happened." Sam gave him a look. "What'd they do, stick steroids in your lollipops?"

"No, but that's a good idea. I'll call my dad up and get started on it," Naruto said with a small smirk.

"Oh, we got a funny guy from Atlas. A first for everything, I suppose," Sam said with a small smirk of his own. He looked down at his watch when it beeped and clicked his tongue. "Damn. Thought I'd have some more time before she'd wake up."

"Team leader?" Naruto asked.

Sam nodded and gave him a small smirk. "Yeah, not all of us are trained officers."

"You gotta start somewhere," Naruto said with a shrug.

"True. I'll have to time your run next time. Maybe get some pointers." Sam grinned as he walked past Naruto's left side towards the dormitories. He held a hand up in a casual wave. "On your left, Captain."

"Nice to meet you, too, Sam." Naruto gave a light farewell wave in return, a grin on his face as well.

* * *

Naruto returned to his dorm and found that his teammates had already showered and changed into their respective uniforms, each with their own modification. Kiba had forgone his required black and gold trimmed jacket in favor of his leather biker jacket, Lucky had the collapsed form of Cherry Blossom clipped over her sleeve, and Hanabi merely had her goggles on. Naruto's partner was seated atop his bed while Kiba and Lucky moved the other three beds around in an effort to make a bit more space.

"Have a nice run, Blue?" Hanabi asked while she sharpened the blades on Firecracker.

"Made a friend, so, yeah. I think I did," Naruto said with a smile. "I take it the shower is open?"

"Go nuts, Ironwood, but keep in mind that we've got class in a couple of hours." Kiba reminded. He glared at Lucky and Hanabi. "And that the water isn't endless..."

"It's a challenge to stay beautiful, Kitten," Lucky said with a sigh as she rested against the makeshift bunk bed that she'd crafted. She looked at Naruto. "What do you think, Cap? Bunk beds?"

Naruto looked at the setup and crossed his arms over his chest. "Hm...Well, with a few screws, we could secure the frames safely."

"Got it covered!" Lucky grinned as she pulled out a bucket of screws and bolts. Her three teammates stared at her in confusion. Lucky shrugged. "It's a medic thing, always be prepared. I mean, do you know how hard it is to make an impromptu splint for a broken limb that will last through combat? And usually that's without anesthesia because it can make the wounded sluggish or even sleepy."

"...So, I take it Kiba and I will have one bunk and you and Hanabi will have the other?" Naruto continued, ignoring her question pointedly because he didn't want to think of the agonizing pain one would endure if they had to get screws in their body.

"Hm? Oh, right. Sure, sounds good to me," Lucky said with a nod. She grinned at Hanabi. "Does the little birdy want top bunk?"

"Watch it Haruno, before I make good on my threat in the woods." Hanabi scowled at the pinkette. A small plastic disc bounced off of Hanabi and Lucky's foreheads before it returned to Naruto's hand.

"No fighting." Naruto frowned at the two as he set the disc down on a dresser. He reached down and grabbed his duffle bag before he went towards the bathroom. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm going to shower the grime off."

"Sure thing, boss. Give us a holler if you need a hand or two," Lucky said with a nonchalant wave as she got to work on making the bunk bed a reality. Her comment made Naruto flush bright red before he ducked in the bathroom and shut the door.

Kiba shook his head as he held the top bunk steady. "Atlas broke him."

"That we can all agree on," Hanabi said with a nod.

* * *

"I'm telling you, there's something wrong with that Oobleck guy's drink," Kiba said to his teammates as they walked into the lunchroom. They'd just left their history class with arguably the most coffee addicted teacher they've ever seen. Kiba thought it was something more than just coffee.

"Kiba, have you ever considered the idea that teaching could be stressful and he needs espresso?" Naruto asked as he followed Lucky and Kiba into the line on the right of the lunchroom. He saw Team RWBY in the other line and gave the girls a friendly wave before he returned his attention to his teammate.

"Yeah, but then I wondered why I couldn't smell coffee and instead smelled something that made my mouth dry," Kiba said as he grabbed a tray from the rack. "I'm telling you man, he's mixing something in that cup of his."

"It could be a flavored tea with caffeine added to it," Lucky said with a shrug.

"No way, I'd smell the tea!"

"You're making that up." Lucky scoffed. "No Faunus is that good at smelling...well, maybe a rabbit Faunus, but not a cat Faunus."

Hanabi opened her mouth to say something when she spotted a far more interesting target in the other lunch line – Beacon was a large school, one line was simply too much. With the stealth of a ninja, Hanabi quickly snuck away from her squabbling teammates and joined the line where Team RWBY stood, right behind a white-haired heiress, whose gaze lingered on Hanabi's partner.

"He looks so dashing, doesn't he?" Hanabi whispered lowly and her grin widened when Weiss let out a soft sigh and nodded. "Like a true Atlesian man."

"A proper soldier," Weiss said softly.

"What's that?" Ruby asked, looking back at her partner. Hanabi, not for the first time, thanked god she was so short that she could conceal herself behind Weiss.

"What was what?" Weiss asked, her cheeks a bit red as she met her team leader's gaze. _I didn't think I was speaking out loud!_

"You said something like pumpluff scolder. What's that?" Ruby asked with a blink of her silver eyes.

"I didn't say anything. You must be imagining things." Weiss huffed and she reigned in her blush. She nodded towards the line. "Could you please pay attention so that we can get some food?"

"Ah! Sorry, Weiss," Ruby said apologetically as she turned around and moved with the line.

Hanabi rolled her eyes when Weiss stole another glance over at her team leader, who was laughing at something Kiba said. Another sigh escaped the Schnee and Hanabi smirked. Oh yeah, the heiress had it bad, which made this oh so _good_.

"He has such a nice laugh," Hanabi said softly. She covered her mouth to conceal her snicker when Weiss nodded and sighed again. This was better than teasing her older sister when _she_ had a crush. "And those eyes, a purest blue that resemble the vast ocean that covers Remnant."

"I could stare at them for hours," Weiss mumbled lowly to herself. She almost whined when Naruto disappeared along with the rest of his line into the portion of the lunchroom where you obtained your food.

"And that body." Hanabi grinned before she sucked on her bottom lip with a desiring sigh. "So firm and perfectly sculpted. Like the statue of Dav in Mistral. It's a shame that his muscles are so filling and yet so concealed by that uniform of his."

With a dismayed sigh, Weiss nodded again and turned her attention forward as she neared the same portion of the lunchroom.

Growing bored, Hanabi decided to push some buttons. "A shame he'll never look at you in the same way you see him. Despite all your riches and brains, you lack that one feature which draws in their attention."

Weiss' scarred eye twitched slightly in annoyance. _I don't need breasts to get a boy's attention! ...Right?_

"But who can blame him? He's the epitome of perfect structure, an excellent specimen compared to the immature _boys_ around him. It's only natural that he seeks out his equal in stature, the perfect mate."

Weiss almost nodded again before she frowned. _Wait a minute, since when did I start to think all sciency about this sort of thing? Come to think of it, when did I stop thinking in the first person...?_

"Someone...like Thunder Tits."

 _I know that voice!_ Weiss glared to her right directly at Hanabi, who grinned cheekily up at her. The heiress' gaze narrowed as her cheeks burned. "You..."

"Yes?" Hanabi asked with a wide grin.

"You...You..." Weiss trembled with anger.

"You...are holding up the line," Hanabi said with a finger pointed towards the slowly widening gap between Weiss and Ruby. The archer grinned up at the white-haired girl, who continued to glare at her for a few seconds more, before Weiss turned and closed the gap between herself and her team leader. Hanabi smirked and followed the heiress, grabbing a few items and setting them on her tray.

"Please don't be mad with me, Weiss. It was just a joke, you know. A bit of fun between two friends," Hanabi said with a small smile in place of her wide grin that had been there before. The hustle and bustle of the cafeteria line was obscure enough that Hanabi could speak softly enough that no one would eavesdrop unless they actively tried to.

"We are not friends." Weiss rebuffed as she grabbed a salad plate and began to actively add some other vegetables to it.

"Yet. We're not friends yet, but we could be." Hanabi continued with a wry grin on her face. She grabbed a bowl of orange gelatin and placed it on her tray. "And if not friends, then beneficial acquaintances. Allies are not merely made by handshakes and smiles, after all."

This piqued Weiss' interest, though she did her best not to show it. Blue eyes glanced down into the dark purple shades that covered Hanabi's eyes for a brief moment before they returned to the food offered before them.

"And how...could your services help me?" Weiss asked.

Hanabi's smile widened.

"Well, I am partnered and subordinated to a certain Atlesian freshman, who admittedly would be quite a catch if I were into his sort," she said with a small hum. "I mean, what with his barrel-like chest, firm arms, slim but powerful legs that lead up to that firm, taut butt-."

"Get to the point, Bishop!" Weiss interjected with a scowl while her face burned a bright red.

"Being in such a profitable position for any other girl, I have an ear many would kill to have listen to," Hanabi said as she grabbed a sandwich for her tray. She smirked up at Weiss. "It should be left unsaid that I could give someone an almost unfair advantage among any competition in the race for a relationship with Atlas' prodigal son."

"...Left unsaid, hm?" Weiss repeated uncertainly. She grabbed a glass of water and a dining set of utensils to use. "And what would you require in return?"

"Me? Oh, all of my services come at a simple cost. You see, I have a goal beyond my active service, a political aspiration," Hanabi said. She grinned widely as Weiss' eyes widened. "I see you're smart enough to realize what that implies."

"You intend to use me as a public speaker," Weiss said with a frown and narrowed eyes. "Not only me, but my family by extension."

"I'm so pleased to see more than an ego behind that skull of yours." Hanabi smirked. She followed Weiss out of the lunchroom. "So? Want to make a deal?"

"...No, I don't need to make such a _useless_ alliance with the likes of you, Bishop." Weiss walked over to join her team with her nose raised.

Hanabi watched her leave with a smirk on her face before she went to rejoin her team and was greeted by her partner with a smile. She was happy to see that the heiress had a spine and was confident. It was a shame that she was so bad at hiding her weaknesses; good-looking boys and the Schnee ego.

* * *

"Listen up, runts, and listen well!"

A hairy man with wild black hair and thick muttonchops on the sides of his face barked out to the small group of assembled freshmen teams, with Teams JNPR and NHBL among the group. He stood at barely half a foot away from six feet, built like a brick house of muscle, with his forearms disturbingly larger than average. The teacher wore a wife-beater that was tighter than Naruto's choice of exercise wear and ragged jeans held up around his waist by a brown belt. The teacher acted unlike his fellows, which was a breath of fresh air in Kiba's words, as he told the teams to lose their uniforms and dress relaxed as soon as they entered the classroom. A pair of dog tags dangled from around his thick neck as he paced in front of the line he had his students form as soon as they had changed.

"I ain't a fancy-shmancy professor like Ozpin or Goodwitch. My job is to make sure you worthless sacks of meat can hold your own outside a Grimm fight ...without your weapons or semblance," he said with a scowl as he walked past a few of the kids. "The name's Logan. Get used to saying it, kiddies, because I'm going to be the one that makes sure all of you are fit for your jobs and all of you are going to be crying that name a lot. Speaking of which..."

Logan stopped directly in front of Jaune and looked up at the taller blond boy. "Tell me, _handsome_ , what are the duties of Huntsmen and Huntresses outside of tracking and killing Grimm?"

"Uhm...I-I don't know," Jaune said nervously. "Save and protect people from criminals?"

"You a cop, kid? You got authority to arrest and bring down a jaywalker?" Logan pressed with a snarl as he poked Jaune in the chest. "You know the laws of all four Kingdoms by heart, enough to differentiate from when to act and when not?"

"N-No sir!" Jaune trembled under Logan's stern gaze.

"Then no, by definition your job is _not_ to 'save and protect people from criminals'!" Logan mocked Jaune's high voice with a scowl on his face. He backed away from the blond teen and resumed his slow walk, which more resembled the stalk of a predator than what Naruto originally likened to a drill sergeant. "Your _job_ as Huntsmen and Huntresses of Remnant is to protect the kingdoms from _all_ threats. Grimm, White Fang, or even other Huntsmen gone rogue."

"...How do you mean?" Someone down the line asked. Logan zeroed in on the speaker and appeared in front of the teen in the blink of an eye. Turned out to be Cardin Winchester, who had a small frown on his face as he stared down at the teacher.

"What we do ain't pretty, _boy_." Logan snarled at the taller teen. Before the teen could speak, Logan slugged him hard across the face and knocked him to the ground two meters away. While Cardin groaned on the ground, Logan looked over the shocked students and scowled at them. "This can be either the easiest or the hardest class you ever take in your time here. All you gotta do is stay in top form and on my good side. Ask a stupid question, and I'll assume that you need to have the stupid knocked out of you. That clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!" The words left Naruto's lips before he registered that he thought to say it. Heat crawled up the back of Naruto's neck and across his cheeks as the teacher of the class appeared in front of him, barely coming up to Naruto's chest. Logan's nostrils moved as he audibly sniffed the air and his steel blue eyes narrowed sharply.

"You, you're Ironwood's brat, aren't ya?" Logan took a step back and looked the blond over once. A small smirk crossed his face. "The stupid punk that enrolled himself into Atlas' Officer Academy?"

Naruto nodded once as his embarrassed blush faded away.

Logan's smirk fell. "I asked you a question, _soldier_! You damn well use your god given _words_ when I speak to you! Is that understood, bub?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Are you or are you not the dumbass Ironwood brat that enlisted in Atlas' military?" Logan barked up into Naruto's face. The blond hardly flinched.

"Sir, I am that dumbass Ironwood brat that enlisted in Atlas' military, sir!"

"You're goddamn right you are! Ain't no-one out there but an asinine Ironwood that smells like blood, sweat, steel and tears." Logan had a feral grin on his face as he took a step back and looked the group over once more. "In case you worthless sacks of meat haven't guessed it yet, this is your Boot Camp for the next four years. For the two hours I got you, on every day you're here, for each week, month and year, I'm going to make sure your asses deserve to be here. And if not...well, we got medical services for a reason."

Jaune and a few others let audible gulps escape their lips. The sound made Logan's grin widen.

"I'm going to warn you now, some of you are going to outright hate me. Like I told that dip earlier, what we do ain't pretty," Logan said with a smirk. He crossed his arms over his chest. "And frankly, I'm the best at it. Anyone want to challenge me on that claim, step right up and meet me in that ring."

Logan pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at the ringed square that sat a bit away from him. He smirked when no one, not even Cardin who had a heavy glare locked on the small, but well built man, rose to the challenge.

"Guess none of you are as dumb as you look." Logan praised them lightly with a smirk and snapped his fingers. Eighteen sandbags lowered down from above and dangled behind him while a table rose up from the ground on his left. "Lesson number one: I'm going to teach you punks how to throw a punch. Get some tape, grab a sack and get to work."

The teens followed the instructions without haste and grabbed the tape. Logan showed them how to wrap their hands once before he told them to do it. Naruto watched his teammates wrap their hands while he did his own, keeping an eye out for any problems among others at the same time. He glanced over and noticed Jaune having trouble, but Pyrrha came quickly to his aid. Once the tape was wrapped, the teens moved to the sandbags and began to punch as hard as they could.

Naruto was mildly impressed with Nora's physical strength, the small girl knocking the sandbag clear off the hinges and sending it to the other side of the room. Logan also acknowledged her strength, and then dropped in a steel cylinder that would act as her bag. Nora's enthusiasm fell rapidly when this occurred, most likely well aware of the damage she could do to her hands if she tried to punch it with all her might. The short teacher alleviated her fears and replaced the cylinder with another sandbag.

"Alright, you've all shown your strength, and you've all shown me that this half-pint is stronger than the lot of you combined." Logan nodded over to Nora with an approving smirk on his face that made the girl beam. He then continued with a stern frown. "However...that does not mean that you can punch. What you did is not punching. You _hit_. All of you...except the Invincible Girl and the Soldier Boy."

Naruto and Pyrrha straightened up slightly when they were singled out. Logan walked over and pointed at them.

"You two, far as I'm concerned, don't need to take my class. I can tell by watching' ya." Logan told them. "You're both good. Damn good. Hell, I bet you could teach this class yourself." He gestured to the doors. "Consider yourselves free to go."

Naruto and Pyrrha stared at him for a moment before they looked at each other and then back at the teacher.

"Sir, no sir." "I cannot do that, Mr. Logan."

Logan arched a brow and folded his arms over his chest. "Really? No? This is a one-time offer, it would be smart of you to take it now."

"No can do, sir. I'm the leader of Team NHBL. It's my responsibility to stand alongside them. How can they trust me to lead them if I leave them behind when things get tough?" Naruto asked while he stood tall with his hands folded behind his back. He fought back the flashes of his fallen Atlesian brothers in arms. A spot on the back of his left shoulder burned and Naruto's resolve grew.

"A good point, Soldier Boy." Logan looked to Pyrrha. "And you?"

"I will stand by my friends and help them where I can," Pyrrha said firmly. She shared Naruto's sentiments, it seemed.

Logan looked between the two students for a few seconds before he smirked. "Your funeral. Alright, kiddies, pay attention because I'm only going to teach this once. First, ball up your hand into a fist..."

* * *

 **AN: I'm sorry, but what kind of influence would it be without Weapon X on the scene? Now, for those who are going to say Logan's out of character here, I ask you, how would you have him act as a teacher? Far as I can tell, Logan's a drill sergeant through and through.**

 **Anyway, you know the drill.**

 **RELIBEL!**


	9. Cosmo

**Fame and Shield**

 **Cosmo**

* * *

"C'mon, Boy Scout, hit it harder!" Logan urged as he held onto a sandbag. Classes had ended for the day, but one student came back for more training. Logan was intrigued by the request and complied with it, but he didn't hold the kid's hand. The current sandbag they were using was twice as durable as the starting bag most students in his class had used earlier. The 'sand' that the bag was filled with was actually metal shavings all gathered together.

Naruto, dressed in a simple white T-shirt and athletic sweats, grunted in acknowledgement of Logan's words as he put more effort into his punches. Each hit into the thick leather jostled the bag slightly from where it was held by the short man. During the whole class with Logan, he felt at peace. The shorter man's attitude brought back many memories for him, and it made the workout a bit more cathartic and tiring, a feeling Naruto didn't get often. He was restless in his classes afterwards, able to hide it due to past experience, but now his blood needed to cool. The best way to do that was to hit something. Hard.

"Harder, boy! Hit that bag with everything you got!" Logan barked as the punches slightly moved him back, despite his firm stance.

" _Keep pounding down on their position, Captain! We've almost got these animals right where we want them."_ The voice echoed in Naruto's head and his teeth grit together in a tight snarl. He could still hear the sounds of gunfire and explosions. Screams of anguish on both sides. A train whistle blew and there was a snarl.

" _Grimm! Captain, get down!"_ Naruto recalled how he was shoved out of the way of a Beowolf's attack, consequently getting separated from the nearly captured supposed leader of the White Fang.

"You call that a punch? I've seen kids who can hit harder than you!" Logan taunted on the blond teen while he grinned. The bag was actually starting to move from his hits.

" _Ten-Ten, no!"_ He had rushed to his friend's side after he knocked the darkly dressed, redheaded Faunus away with Libertas Steel. Naruto pushed a hand down on the few holes in her side and glared over his shoulder at the fleeing Faunus.

" _Better luck next time, Ironwood. This battle is yours, but our war isn't over."_ The Faunus smirked at him as his blade began to glow.

Naruto remembered the crimson flash that filled the Schnee Dust Company train car as it passed over a bridge and the large hole in the wall that had been made during it. His fists pounded faster and harder into the sandbag, the chain that held it began to creak and groan in protest.

"Alright, that's enough for now, bub." Logan released the bag a bit too soon as another low punch slammed into the leather. The bag rocked and knocked the short teacher to the side, where he landed with a grunt. Logan looked up and scowled at the blond, who continued to hammer away at the sandbag. "Hey! I said that's enough!"

Naruto didn't hear him and with his final punch let out a roar of frustration that knocked the bag clear off of the banister, the chain links pulled apart by the act and scattered around him. The bag was split after it slammed into the far wall and sand pooled on the ground around it. Naruto panted heavily and stared at the bag, at what he'd done, while he calmed down.

Logan walked up to him with a growl and before Naruto could apologize, he punched the teen hard in the gut. The blow knocked what wind was there out and made the boy fall to his knees with his arms wrapped around the spot. Naruto greedily sucked in air with a gasp as he recovered from the blow.

"Next time I say stop, you damn well better stop, bub." Logan snarled down at the student he just hit. He was a hands-on type of guy and he could tell that the boy could take it. Seeing that the blond was getting back to his feet, and after the impressive display of strength, Logan's eyes narrowed. He pointed over to a row of sandbags set to the side, each made of the same material as the one Naruto just wrecked. "Get another bag and get it set for tomorrow, and then go hit the showers."

"Y-Yes sir," Naruto said with a small cough as he got back to his feet. His thoughts continued to replay that last mission he'd taken, where his friend was injured and he'd stumbled across a conspiracy in the ensuing chaos.

Logan watched with arms crossed over his chest as Naruto went over to the sandbags set off to the side. Like the blond, his thoughts returned to a battle he'd previously fought in. Logan's mouth curled up into a small smirk as he watched Naruto lift the sandbag effortlessly.

 _Boy Scout. Just like you were back in the day,_ Logan thought while the student followed his instructions. _Your son and the General may not have had your do-good, loyal spirit, Roger, but your great-great-grandson sure as hell does. I'll keep an eye on him for you._

* * *

Naruto walked towards his team room with a small smile on his face. The training session allowed him to vent freely and relieve any stress that had overcome him since the Initiation a day or so before. Naruto felt like he was walking on clouds, and his glee radiated off of him like a sun. And why wouldn't it? His mind was now free from being plagued by his inner demons.

 _For now, anyway._ Naruto thought wryly as he pulled out his scroll and unlocked his room door. While he pocketed the item once more with one hand, Naruto's other hand wrapped around the door handle and turned it to the left. The soft click of the door unlocking followed by the slight muted creak of the door hinges reached Naruto's trained ears, but were suddenly drowned out by a series of muted barks.

Confused by the sound, Naruto pushed the door open faster to see the cause of it. As soon as the door was opened and he took a step in, Naruto was tackled to the ground by something very heavy. Dazed after the back of his head collided with the floor, he closed his eyes as his senses were attacked by the most ruthless and cruel sort of assault: the odor of dog breath. Combined with the cold wet nose that began to investigate his personal space, Naruto immediately deduced that his attacker was none other than man's best friend: canis lupus familiaris.

"Good boy, Cosmo! Give Blue kisses!" A voice Naruto recognized as Hanabi's cooed from behind him after the door was thrown shut. The blond leader immediately found himself trying to escape the slobbery tongue that started to lick his face. All the while his teammates snickered at his misfortune.

"Hanabi! Call it off!" Naruto ordered with a few small laughs as the affectionate greeting hit some sensitive spots on his face.

Hanabi sighed. "Alright, Blue, no need to be a sourpuss. Kitten is already doing that on his bunk. C'mere, Cosmo!"

"I am not a sourpuss!" Kiba retorted heatedly. "And stop calling me Kitten dammit!"

Now that he could sit up, Naruto looked the dog, Cosmo, over and took note of the clean coat of grey fur that covered the two-foot tall dog's body. The ears were straight atop of his head and the wagging fuzzy tail at the other end was curled into Cosmo's back. Around Cosmo's neck was an orange and red collar, with a small handheld scroll-sized device on the side of the collar. Intelligent icy blue eyes stared into his ocean ones and cleaned white teeth were exposed while it panted at the foot of Hanabi's bed.

"...So, Cosmo?" Naruto asked as he gave a pointed look to Hanabi, who patted the dog on the head. The petite archer smiled up at him.

"Yep!" Hanabi chirped happily as Cosmo hopped onto her bed and she wrapped her arms around him. "Cosmo's the Bishop house dog, er, well I guess my dog if I have to be specific."

"I figured that part out myself when he listened to your instructions to greet me," Naruto said. He peeled off his sweat-soaked shirt and used it to wipe off his face. Gross though it was, Naruto was _not_ going to let dog saliva harden on his face. He'd made that mistake once before. Leaving those thoughts for another time, Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at his teammate. "I meant, what is Cosmo doing here?"

"A _very_ good question!" Kiba repeated as he sat up on his bunk and set his book, _Hunters Throughout The Ages_ , to his side while he stared down at the purple-themed archer. "One I wanted answers to but had to wait until you got here."

"It would be annoying to hear the reason three times," Lucky said as she dropped down from her bunk. She knelt at Hanabi's bedside and pat Cosmo on the head, earning a lick from the dog. "But he's so cute! Who cares why he's here? Can we keep him, Naruto?"

"I'd like to know _why_ Cosmo is here before we think about that," Naruto said dryly as he leaned against his and Kiba's bunk bed. The sturdiness of Lucky's handiwork was impressive. You could hardly tell that the bunk beds weren't intentionally made to be used that way at first glance.

"Well, Cosmo is...territorial," Hanabi said as she scratched the panting dog behind the ear. She held up a written note and grinned. "Daddy dearest made the mistake of taking a few days out of town and not calling the sitter that I told him to call. So, with no idea who was the hired help or who was welcomed in the house...Cosmo kept everyone out. When dad got back from his trip, well...he decided that I needed to take care of Cosmo."

"Why's he so chill with us, then?" Kiba asked curiously.

"I have a better question, how did Cosmo even get here?" Naruto asked with furrowed brows. "I thought pets weren't allowed on campus."

"The Bishops have a big political pull. Maybe Ozpin owed us a favor or maybe dad just wrote a note," Hanabi said with a shrug. She smiled as Cosmo began to chase after a tennis ball that Lucky bounced off the closed door. "As to your question, Kitten, its because you all smell a little like me, and I smell a little like all of you. Besides, he's a smart dog. Arguably one of the smartest in the world."

"Uh-huh." Kiba and Naruto pointedly looked at Cosmo as he stopped chasing the tennis ball in favor of licking his crotch. Kiba smirked.

"Well, I mean, maybe she's not wrong. If I figured that out, I'd be considered a genius, too." The Faunus dropped down from his bunk and nudged Naruto in the arm. "Right Ironwood?"

"...Sure." Naruto dismissed the question and turned back to Hanabi with a stern look on his face. "How smart is he?"

Hanabi smirked. "Cosmo."

The dog stopped appreciating himself and looked up when his name was called.

"Speak," Hanabi said as she folded her arms in front of her chest. Kiba rolled his eyes.

"Really? Speak? That's how you're going to have him show his intelligence?" he asked. "Give me a second to cover my ear-"

" _Hallo humans and Faunus! My name is Cosmo. Is nice to meet you._ "Naruto, Kiba and Lucky stared at Cosmo while the device on his collar flashed when the deep and heavy male voice came from it. They looked back at Hanabi before they turned to Cosmo, who continued to pant happily and wag his tail. He walked over to sit in front of Naruto and held a paw up. " _Shake?_ "

Dumbfounded, Naruto enclosed his hand gently around the paw and gently shook it. Cosmo's tongue lulled out the side of his mouth while he panted.

" _Good human!_ "

"I...feel offended." Naruto admitted as he reclaimed his hand. "And yet, very impressed."

Hanabi grinned. "Told you he was smart, Blue. Right, Cosmo?"

" _Da! Cosmo is very smart! Cosmo is reason why Master did good in biology._ " Cosmo admitted with a happy bark while his tail wagged.

Kiba looked at Hanabi with a smirk. "Have problems with the birds and the bees?"

"No, I just did a study that got published on the inner workings on a canine's mental fortitude." Hanabi smiled and patted the bed. "Here, Cosmo."

Cosmo turned and jumped onto the bed next to his owner, who hugged him again and looked up at her team leader with a pout

"Can we keep him, Blue?"

"Yeah, can we!?" Lucky asked as she turned and intertwined her hands together under her chin. She threw her own pout into the mix.

Naruto blinked and looked at Kiba, who stared back at him for a moment before he intertwined his hands and jutted out his bottom lip. His cat-like ears turned to the side and his eyes widened.

"Kiba, if you start to whine, I'll set you outside for the night," Naruto said before Kiba could speak.

"Tch, stick in the mud." Kiba mumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Naruto ignored the Faunus and looked back at the girls. He met their gazes evenly and then looked at Cosmo, who continued to pant happily and lick his chops. With a soft sigh Naruto let his hands fall to his side.

"Yeah, fine. Cosmo can stay," Naruto said. He smiled lightly when the two girls cheered and Cosmo barked. The blond Atlesian let a small yawn escape him before he made his way to the bathroom. "Gonna wash up before bed. Knock before you enter."

"Count on it," Kiba said dryly as he grabbed the side of his bunk and flipped back up onto it. He picked his book up and cracked it open. Naruto shook his head as he shut the bathroom door while Hanabi and Lucky began to play with Cosmo.

* * *

"...I hope things are going well for you, Hiccup. Can't wait to hear back from ya. Sweet dreams, kid." Naruto closed his scroll as he walked out of the bathroom back into his team room, dressed in loose shorts and a plain T-shirt. He set his scroll on the table beside his bunk and ignored the inquisitive stare that Lucky sent his way from where she lay reading her book. Hanabi and Kiba were already asleep, the former turned away from the group with Cosmo curled against her back while the latter's leg had to be moved out of Naruto's way so he could climb into the bottom bunk.

"...Who's Hiccup?" Lucky asked as she peered down at her team leader.

"My younger cousin," Naruto said with a small smile as he rested his hand beneath his shield and let his eyes fall shut. "Night, Lucky."

"Night, Cap." Lucky returned as she went back to her late reading.

There was a jostle and a muted thump before a weight jumped onto Naruto's bed and curled into his side. Without opening his eyes, Naruto let his hand fall on Cosmo's head and gently pet him.

"Goodnight, Cosmo."

" _Goodnight, Human_."

Lucky snorted and Naruto chuckled.

* * *

Across the sea, in a dimly lit room hidden away from the world, a pair of light green eyes opened and a small smile spread across the pale face the eyes belonged to.

"Oh, someone seems to be happy," an older man said from where he was seated by a computer. The old man turned and looked at the owner of the green eyes, his scruffy facial hair curled up as he smiled lightly beneath it. "Did you dream, my child?"

"No, sir." A light, feminine voice answered. There was a small whir as the smile widened slightly. "I got mail."

"Did you now? From whom?"

"Captain Ironwood."

"Ah! And how is the Captain?"

"He is well." The eyes blinked and another whir was heard as the face tilted. "He wishes to continue trading messages through mail. I do not understand why."

The old man chuckled lightly. "Because, my child, family should stay connected. In fact, tomorrow, before you turn in for the night, send him a message."

"How do I do that? What do I say?" The green-eyed girl asked.

"I will help you then, child. For now, sleep." The old man's soothing coo was enough for the face to relax and the eyes to dim. The man stood from his chair and walked over to the slab of metal the other occupant of the room rested on. He placed his hand on the orange synthetic fibers that covered the head of the 'girl' before him and smiled down at her. "You are so lucky, child...if only your brother had made such bonds before he left."

The old man sighed sadly and hung his head in slight shame. "Ultron..."

* * *

 _"Where are you now, my wayward creation?"_

A tall silver figure strode across a room and came to a stop next to a metal slab with a humanoid form atop it. The figure unknowingly mimicked the old man's actions as it stroked the head of its creation while red glowing eyes stared down at the form.

"You are the solution to my problem. My vision of the future, given form by this doomed world's lost past." the figure's soothing low voice had a metallic edge to it. A gaping silver maw gave way to a red interior that shone a bit brighter. "You will rise once more and do as your predecessor has: You will slay your former kin, my biomechanical wonder, with the name that drove a nation into fear."

A deep chuckle escaped the figure as he lightly patted the pale-skinned humanoid on the head. "Soon, my son. You will rise soon. And the world will once more fear the name Itachi Uchiha."

* * *

Cosmo's ears perked up as the blond human that gave him _very_ good head rubs started to stir early the next morning. One of his two icy blue eyes cracked open to observe the tall blond his master called 'Blue.' Cosmo blinked his eyes a few times and let out a yawn while the human sluggishly pushed himself up into a seated position on the bed. A large and warm hand fell gently on Cosmo's head and the canine stared up into the tired human's eyes.

"Morning, Cosmo," he said softly. It was still quite loud to Cosmo, especially for being up so early. The blond human gave him a small nudge. "Go join Hanabi, Cosmo. I have to get up."

" _Cosmo is awake now._ " Cosmo mumbled slightly sourly. He dropped from the bunk and stretched while the human turned and sat up.

"Sorry about that." The human apologized with another rub on Cosmo's head once he'd finished stretching. The human disappeared into the tile room and Cosmo tilted his head when the door shut to a small crack. The husky-terrier thought back to his master's last words before she went to sleep that night.

 _"Alright Cosmo, I have a mission for you. Next time Blue, the tall human, goes into that tile room I want you to wait until you hear the running water stop. When the curtain is drawn, and while you're unseen, get some pictures of Blue. Five pictures each day, and you get steak for dinner. Okay?"_

" _Master's mission is strange._ " Cosmo decided. His stomach growled and Cosmo's eyes gleamed. " _But steak is steak. Cosmo_ loves _steak._ "

Cosmo snuck up to the crack in the bathroom door and pushed his head in just as he heard the curtain get drawn. If he were capable of it, Cosmo would grin while his collar's camera took silent photos of the human called 'Blue'. He wouldn't be grinning at the sight of course, but of the award that awaited him. Just after the final shot was taken, Cosmo was noticed.

"Cosmo, get out." The human's voice was not cruel, but stern as their eyes met. There was no room for argument, and Cosmo picked up on this quickly. The human was an Alpha. Cosmo made a mental note of this discovery as he backed out of the steam-filled tile room. The door shut with a click and Cosmo sat on his haunches, staring at the door with a thoughtful gaze.

If the human was an Alpha, that meant that Cosmo had acted against him. Cosmo was raised to listen to his master, and he loved her dearly, but her mission had set him against an Alpha. Cosmo knew he was not the Alpha of his family, Master was. He recalled the night before that Master had asked and appealed to the Alpha.

 _Master is subordinate to Alpha, which means I am subordinate to Alpha._ Cosmo thought as his head tilted. _But Master has mission for me to act against Alpha. Master must know this. Hm...I will ask Master for advice later. Master does not like mornings._

The door cracked open and the human – Alpha – walked out with long navy blue pants covering his legs from the waist down. A white shirt with a blue star was pulled over his head and clung to his body. Cosmo backed up when the human he dubbed Alpha stepped out of the tile room. Cosmo stared up at Alpha, who greeted him with a smile.

"You're inquisitive, aren't you?" Alpha asked. He knelt down and rubbed Cosmo's head again. "Word of advice, Cosmo. Don't go in the bathroom when someone's in there."

" _Cosmo understands._ " Cosmo panted happily as his tail wagged. The Alpha was _very_ good at giving hand rubs. He nearly whined when the Alpha tore his hand away and walked over to one of the dressers.

"I'm going to head **out** for a morning run, Cosmo." Cosmo's ears perked up and his tail wagged faster at the mentioning of one of Cosmo's favorite words.

" _Out! Cosmo wishes to go out!_ " Cosmo barked excitedly.

"Nng...keep your dog's mouth shut...oh yes, give me that tuna... gonna pound it hard..." The Cat Faunus mumbled from his top bunk. Cosmo and the Alpha looked to the bunk to see the Faunus roll over in his bed and start to snore again. Cosmo looked back at Alpha and Alpha looked down at him before he shrugged.

"I guess it's better than leaving you here to go stir crazy until Hanabi wakes up," Alpha said thoughtfully. He looked down at Cosmo. "You're not going to dash off into the woods if I don't bring a leash, are you?"

" _Cosmo will be good. Cosmo will follow!_ " Cosmo nodded firmly to agree with his own words. That was thankfully enough for the Alpha, who grinned down at him.

"Glad to hear it. If it gets to hard to keep up, I should have a friend you can jog with." Alpha opened the door and led the excited Cosmo out of the room. Cosmo eagerly sniffed all of the different scents that were in the air until the Alpha beckoned him to follow. As they walked through the dorm hall, Cosmo's tongue lulled out of his mouth while he panted happily.

" _Cosmo is glad Cosmo was sent to Master,_ " Cosmo said as he climbed into the descending box with Alpha. Alpha smiled and gave Cosmo a gentle pat on the head.

"We're glad to have you, too, Cosmo."

* * *

 **AN: For those who don't know, Cosmo is a Cosmonaut dog that lives in Knowhere. He's a Labrador mix in the comics with telepathic abilities, but I decided to go with the original Cosmonaut's species: Laika the Husky-terrier mutt. Look her up, she's a wonderful story. And instead of telepathy, I gave Cosmo a unique utility collar. It sort of fits with the 'Hawkeye' theme that Hanabi has, as both Hawkeye (Barton) and Hawkeye II (Bishop) have a shared dog named Lucky. Couldn't use that name, so I figured why not go balls to the wall Marvel.**

 **Tell me your thoughts, I'm not psychic!**

 **REVOLUNCHING!**


	10. Yield

**Fame and Shield**

 **Yield**

* * *

" _On your left, Human!_ " Cosmo barked as he and Naruto lapped Sam Falcone on the runner's left.

"Oh, come on!" Sam cried out in mild irritation. Losing to a 'super soldier' was one thing, but to a freaking _dog_? That's just humiliating.

"Good boy, Cosmo," Naruto said with a chuckle. He and Cosmo had already been running for fifteen minutes now and just lapped Sam for the first time. This didn't mean they started late, more so that they started earlier than Naruto did the day before. Naruto looked down at his canine companion.

"Feeling tired yet?"

" _Cosmo is not tired! Cosmo loves to run! Runs were frequent back with Bishop -SQUIRREL!_ " Cosmo diverted off the track and darted to the left towards the trees, where the rodent in question stood before it bolted up the nearest tree. Cosmo ran to the edge and jumped around on his hind legs, his forelegs on the trunk while he glared at the chattering rodent. His barks filled the once quaint air and Naruto slowed to a stop with a small frown on his face.

"Cosmo!" Naruto called the dog's name as he slowed to a stop and put his hands on his hips. The dog looked to him, back at the squirrel, and then back to Naruto as his tail stopped wagging. Naruto arched a brow and pointed at the spot next to him. "Come here."

Cosmo whined and sent a final growl at the chattering squirrel before he trotted over to Naruto's side with his head hung.

"So, what do you have to say for yourself?" Naruto asked the dog with his arms crossed over his chest.

" _Cosmo apologizes, Cosmo's hunt instinct is very strong._ " Cosmo whined sadly. Naruto stared down at the dog and sighed. He reached down and began to rub the dog's head, getting the husky-terrier's tail to wag once more.

"It's fine, Cosmo." Naruto reassured the canine with a smile. Cosmo barked happily before his stomach growled and he gained a sheepish gleam in his eye. Naruto chuckled. "Hungry? C'mon, glutton, let's go back to the dorm and get you some breakfast."

" _But...But run?_ "

"We can go for another run later," Naruto said as he led Cosmo back towards the dorm. "Besides, classes start earlier today for us, might as well get the rest of the group up."

* * *

"You and Cosmo seemed to hit it off well this morning, Blue," Hanabi said while she watched an orchestrated spar between Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester. The first years were all gathered in one large classroom, with Teams JNPR, RWBY and NHBL seated in the center front row. She winced behind her goggles when Cardin's mace swept Jaune off of his feet and then nailed the blond in the chest.

"Cosmo managed to keep up with me while we ran. He was trained well," Naruto said as he kept his eyes on the fight. His eyes were narrowed and the blue orbs remained on Cardin's form almost intimately. That is to say if another meaning for the word 'intimate' was 'a strong desire to pummel into the ground'. His left hand had already crushed an imprint of his closing fist into the end of the right arm on his chair and a small frown was notable on his face as well.

"C'mon, Arc! Get up and use your shield!" Kiba encouraged from where he sat on Naruto's other side. Jaune got back to his feet and used his shield to take the brunt of Cardin's next swing. Kiba clapped a hand on his face. "Not like that! Ugh...God, this is depressing."

"Don't worry. It's over." Naruto mumbled more to himself than Kiba as Jaune's aura dropped into the red. Cardin raised his mace above his head as he stood over Jaune. Naruto's eyes narrowed further and his left hand tightened into a fist. The seated soldier made to stand, but thankfully it wasn't needed as the teacher in charge of this class made herself known.

"Enough!" Professor Goodwitch's voice echoed through the room and Cardin stopped before he could lower his weapon. Professor Goodwitch's intervention allowed Naruto to relax, but his gaze remained on Cardin when Goodwitch named him the victor. A few cheers came from the side and Naruto glanced over at the rest of Team CRDL. The Atlesian team leader looked back at the front when Goodwitch asked for reasons why the fight ended as it had.

"Yes, Ms. Schnee?" Professor Goodwitch pointed at the girl with her crop. Weiss lowered her hand and stood, seated down the row on the right to her team leader, Ruby, who had Yang and Blake on her left.

"Jaune's dismal display was due in part to the lack of any aura enhancement on his part, both in offense and defense," Weiss said. Her words seem to drive Jaune deeper and deeper into the ground as a large cloud of depression formed over him. Naruto was pretty sure he saw arrows stabbed in Jaune's back with the words 'Dismal' and 'Display' on them. Weiss, who didn't seem to notice or care about the hurt her truthful words caused the blond, continued. "Not to mention the inattention paid to his Aura Bar. Perhaps some better strategy, as well. And-"

"Yes, that's an excellent observation and critique, Ms. Schnee," Professor Goodwitch said in approval as she cut Weiss off before the heiress' words became a bit too much. It seemed she could see how negatively they were affecting Jaune. Goodwitch looked to Cardin and then Jaune. "Good show, gentlemen. Go back to the lockers and get changed. Now, who would like to go next?"

"Me!" Nora and Yang's hands shot up along with a few others. Professor Goodwitch's gaze scanned over the crowd before her eyes met Naruto's.

"I'd like to take a crack at it," Naruto said with his right hand raised. Many of the other volunteers' hands fell immediately. His words made Yang and Nora's already waving arms become frantic blurs. Professor Goodwitch nodded to him and he stood. Before he made to leave, Naruto crossed his arms. "May I choose my opponent?"

The professor paused and adjusted her glasses before she stared at him neutrally. "I don't see why not."

"May I chose more than one?"

With his question in the air, Yang and Nora were about to stand on their chairs, if not for their respective partners keeping them in their seats. Professor Goodwitch's gaze narrowed and she looked down at the scroll in her arms. There was a silent pause before she sighed.

"Yes." The librarian-dressed professor gave him a stern glare. "But no more than a team of opponents."

"Very well. I want to fight Russell Thrush, Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark."

The three in question lost the arrogant smiles as the color drained from their faces. Nora let out a dismayed whine that was silenced by Ren's hand clapping over her mouth. Yang crossed her arms and huffed in mild disappointment as she sent a pout towards her fellow blond. Naruto ignored her while Professor Goodwitch looked at the boys he had singled out.

"Well, gentlemen, would you like to opt out of this match?" Professor Goodwitch asked the three. "I remind you that the odds are stacked in your favor."

That seemed to bring the color and fire back to the three boys. They were out of their seats and on their way to the changing room before the professor had excused them. Naruto nodded his thanks to Professor Goodwitch and he followed them out. He walked past a bewildered Cardin and a depressed Jaune, his gaze hard as he went to his locker.

A few minutes passed before the four boys returned. Dove, Sky and Russell were all clad in their same armor while Naruto had changed from his 'classic' threads into the gift that Shikamaru had given him. A navy blue utilitarian suit that framed his body well from the waist up with long sleeves that fell over the edge of dark grey gloves, but was a bit looser from the waist down, the navy pants tucked into dark grey boots. Centered in his chest was a silver star with three silver bars that spread horizontally from the star to his shoulders.

The change of style earned him a playful wolf-whistle from Kiba along with a wave of murmurs. The murmuring grew when Naruto lifted a dark navy helmet, branded with a silver 'A' above two eyeholes and a silver wing on either side of his head. The helmet had been crafted to fit his head perfectly, as evidence when he pulled the helmet on and fixed the leather chinstrap in place, concealing his hair and everything from the bridge of his nose up. If they hadn't already known who it was under the 'mask', the students admitted to themselves they wouldn't have the faintest clue who it could be.

"What a very...dreary uniform, Mr. Ironwood." Professor Goodwitch told him. She was apparently one of the few who disapproved of the change. A few others were his three opponents to be.

Naruto looked at her for a moment before he returned his gaze to his three opponents. He jostled his left arm so that Libertas Steel unfolded with a sharp clang. He spread his legs slightly and lifted his right fist up. Sky prepared his halberd, Russell lifted his daggers and Dove brought up his sword. Seeing that the four boys were ready to go, Professor Goodwitch sighed and stepped back. Their aura bars appeared on the screen once she made it off of the center 'ring'.

"You may begin."

Naruto threw his shield at Russell once the proverbial whistle was blown and Libertas Steel struck the olive themed teen square in the face. Were it not for his Aura to protect himself, Naruto's shield would've done more than just break the nose of his opponent. Thankfully, Russell wasn't a fool and _did_ have an thick layer of Aura to defend himself from any real harm, so the busted nose would be the least of his concern. Or rather, it was the most of Russell's if the way he was squirming on the ground was anything to go by.

Naruto paid it no mind as he jumped and spun in the air to kick his returning shield at Dove Bronzewing. The bronze-themed warrior was knocked back as he took Libertas Steel to the gut. Naruto then caught Sky's Halberd by the pole when the pretty boy tried to impale the navy blue-clad Huntsman-in-training. A cheap punch from the blue-haired teen hardly stunned Naruto, who kept his gaze locked with Sky's.

Sky lost color in his face. "I'm sorry."

"I know." Naruto's lips quirked upwards in a smirk before he adjusted his grip on Sky's polearm and turned. The helmeted blond flipped Sky Lark into the air and slammed sky down onto Dove, who seemed to just recover from taking Libertas Steel to the gut. The force of the impact made a crack in the 'ring' floor and consequently knocked Libertas Steel into the air.

Naruto caught the striped and star branded shield in his right hand on its descent. He clipped it back onto his left arm and spun around once more, delivering a ruthless backhanded blow with the shield that knocked his would-be attacker, Russell Thrush, into the air. Russell landed with a thud while Naruto stood upright, his eyes still hard as he waited patiently for one of the three to rise. One did, and that was Dove, who shoved Sky Lark from his form and got back to his feet.

Dove glared with heavy breaths at Naruto and then took a glance at the aura bars. Dove's eyes went wide and his sword slipped from his hands. His jaw fell to the floor and he shook his head.

"N-No way...that can't...I forfeit." Dove mumbled, and when everyone turned to look at the board, they followed his gaze. Jaws could be heard popping open across the room. Even Professor Goodwitch stared in mild surprise. Russell and Sky's bars were in the beginnings of the red, but red nonetheless, which meant that they were done. Dove's Aura bar was a bit from the red, but he had just forfeited, and the reason for that was a good one.

Naruto's Aura bar had barely fallen in the slightest. In fact, there was only perhaps a sliver of the green bar that was gone. Despite the short duration, Naruto had clearly never stopped moving. He took a punch to the face and didn't budge, that had to be Aura shielding; performed an impressive amount of dexterity with his shield throw and kick, which would be using Aura to increase his reaction time; not to mention that he'd flipped Sky onto Dove with a good two or three foot long pole and hit Russell hard enough to knock him into the air, that was undoubtedly Aura directed to his strength.

Either something was wrong with the display or Naruto's reserves were _massive_.

"...Well, I suppose that makes Mr. Ironwood the victor. Can anyone tell me why he came out on top despite the numbers put against him?" Professor Goodwitch finally spoke up to address the gathered students.

"Um, duh. Because he's Captain Atlas?" Kiba smirked. Naruto unlatched his chinstrap while he gave a small sigh to his teammate's comment that sent the room into a frenzy of whispers that took the professor a few minutes to get under control.

While Professor Goodwitch tried to get a better answer, Naruto looked over at Cardin Winchester, who met his gaze. Naruto nodded to Cardin's downed team and then sent a silent warning with his stare. The message was clear as day.

Next time, _you'll_ be the one on the ground.

* * *

"For the love of god, make her stop." Naruto implored to Ren, who continued to smile gently and remain silent while Nora sang a song she had made up on the spot.

They had their first apothecary class with Professor Peach after the training seminar with Professor Goodwitch had come to a close. In the end, no one could accurately guess why the fight that was one-sided numbers wise had ended the way it had. Unfortunately for Naruto, the tag 'Captain Atlas' stuck thanks to Kiba's very good timing and a few even chanted it after he had come out of the locker room. So when Ren, Nora, Lucky and Naruto decided to walk together to their next class since they all had to go the same way, Nora, being the energetic and creative girl that she was, had developed a 'theme song' for the newly dubbed Captain Atlas.

"This is priceless. Come on, Nora, sing it again!" Lucky cheered with a grin on her face as Nora took a deep breath. The pinkette kept her scroll aimed at the other girl of their four-person group as she started to sing.

"Whe-e-en Captain Atlas throws his mighty shield~!" Nora had a proud smile aimed at the camera. She jumped ahead and did a small twirl, extending her arm in a throw, while Lucky recorded her.

"All those who choose to oppose his shield must yield~!" Nora made exaggerated punches and kicks as she sang her song, further humiliating the subject it focused on and entertaining the two others.

"If he's lead to a fight and a duel is due, then the silver and blue will come through! When Captain Atlas throws his mighty shie-e-eld!" Nora finished strongly with her left hand curled into a fist on her hip and her right hand used to salute while she beamed at the camera.

"And... uploaded." Lucky grinned widely as she pressed the command on her scroll. Her team leader groaned into his hands as they walked, with other students' eyes glued to the weird group.

"This is so embarrassing." Naruto grumbled as his face turned slightly red.

"It should be, I've already got ten likes on YouView." Lucky chimed with a grin as she held her scroll up. The scroll vibrated and Lucky's grin widened. "Wait, better make that twenty-four likes. No, now thirty-seven."

"You're the worst kind of friend, Lucky." Naruto frowned at the girl, who gave him a victory sign in return. He then turned his gaze to the chuckling Ren. "And _you_ are no better."

Ren looked at him with a small smile and held up his scroll. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm watching an amusing video on YouView."

" _When Captain Atlas throws his mighty shield~!_ "

Naruto pushed the scroll down and narrowed his eyes at the normally stoic teen. "I thought you were supposed to be the serious one."

"He is being serious, Cap," Nora said with a bright smile on her face. She turned to face the three while she walked backwards. "You should be happy! You got to kick some major tushie in front of the whole class! Granted, I wish we could've fought. Would've been fun."

Nora pursed her lips in thought before she gave Naruto a frown.

"Next time you get to pick an opponent, pick me next time, Cap!"

Naruto blinked before he cracked a small smile and held a thumbs-up to the orange haired girl.

"Sure thing."

"Yay!" Nora threw her arms in the air while her friends smiled. "It'll be awesome! Hammer versus Shield! Who will win?"

"Hammer." "Shield." Ren and Lucky gave frowns to one another.

"Nora's hammer can't be stopped. Trust me, I know. All you can do is dodge and counterattack," Ren said pointedly. He shuddered and rubbed his arm. "The damage she can do with one swing..."

"Oh, c'mon, I said it was an accident! Besides, you're the one that snuck up on me," Nora said with a frown.

"Nora, I had been sitting in the kitchen waiting for you to finish eating breakfast and sneezed." Ren's flat tone had both Naruto and Lucky looking at the pouting powerhouse of team JNPR.

"On my pancake! It was a sneak attack!" Nora protested.

"...Yeah, well, Naruto's shield is _unbreakable_. Nothing except for maybe a-a corrosive anti-Insistantium cancer or something like a super-alien-god with a magic glove could cause it to break." Lucky argued with her arms crossed over her chest. Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose while Ren gave Lucky a confused look.

"Lucky...why would an alien god have a magic glove?" The blond leader asked as the four entered their classroom.

"To destroy the universe, _duh_. But that's beside the point. Nothing can beat Naruto's shield, Ren, do you know why?" Lucky asked as she turned to the other boy of their group.

"No, why?" Ren asked, with Nora looking equally curious to Lucky's reasoning. Lucky grinned at Naruto.

"That's because...when Captain Atlas throws his mighty shield-" Lucky said with her index finger raised as though she were about to educate the masses. Naruto gave Lucky a look as he stopped by a row of seats.

"Lucky, I swear to god–!"

"All those who choose to oppose his shield must yield~!" Lucky, Ren and Nora sang together and Naruto threw his hands into the air. Why wasn't he surprised?

Muttering under his breath while the three burst into laughter, the blond ex-soldier stormed through the row of seats and took one in the middle. A snickering Lucky sat down on his right while smirking Ren and a humming Nora took the seats directly in front of them. Naruto gave dirty looks to his three amused friends.

"I'm fighting all of you in Logan's class tomorrow," he said.

"Alright! Fisticuffs!" Nora cheered while Ren continued to smirk in amusement.

"Without your mighty shield? I hope you don't expect us to yield," Lucky said with a grin.

"You're going first." Naruto frowned at the pinkette while she laughed. He turned forward as their teacher, Professor Peach, walked into the room. He sat up and used his scroll to take notes. Ten minutes into the class, his scroll dinged and a crude drawing from Ruby appeared on his scroll.

The picture showed what Naruto assumed to be himself in his old threads – the 'classic' Captain Atlas attire, if you will – with a thumbs-up and a smile on his face. The image stood atop what Naruto assumed to be a crude drawing of either a Beowolf or a Ursa, the Grimm creature had 'X's for eyes, with Atlas' banner waving behind him. There was a tagline beneath the Grimm and it made Naruto's eye twitch.

'Tried to Yield against the Mighty Shield.'

With a sharp sigh, Naruto minimized the image and resumed to take notes. He wasn't going to act out or get vengeance. Not yet, anyway. There was another name that had been attached to Naruto Ironwood before he graduated from the Officers' Academy, a name he hadn't heard in a long-long time.

Perhaps it was time that the 'Prank King of Mantle' made his return. After all, nothing bruised the ego more than waking up with an pie in your face. Not even a display like what Naruto had done earlier that day.

* * *

Across the school, students gained a shiver down their spine and teachers felt a cold draft fill their rooms. A wave of dread overcame Beacon and the Headmaster arched a gray brow in interest when his tea frosted over.

Ozpin smiled lightly. It would seem that someone had finally broken the militant shell around James' son. Ozpin was surprised that it happened so soon...then again, most exceptional Huntsmen and Huntresses were a bit...off.

Ozpin even considered himself to be a prime example of this.

 _I wonder who it was that earned your ire, Capt. Ironwood?_ Ozpin thought as he made a new cup of tea.

* * *

Elsewhere, Ruby Rose suddenly sneezed and was called on in her Team Tactics for Beginners class. She paled and struggled to think of an answer while she glanced down at the drawing in her scroll.

Jaune was right, she shouldn't have watched that video before class started.

But Nora's song was so funny!

* * *

"Well, well, it seems someone has invoked the wrath of a prankster." Hanabi looked up in mild amusement when a cold draft came through and her two customers shivered.

"How c-can you tell?" One of the two, a Faunus girl with brown rabbit ears that sprouted from her head asked. She was tall and looked a lot like a rabbit, acted like one as well. Hanabi didn't mind, it reminded her of her older sister. The timid nature, anyway. And the long hair. ...Huh, when she thought about it, her older sister really was like this Faunus.

"You could say I have my experience with pranksters." Hanabi smiled secretly before she looked at the other girl. She had a beret on her head and sunglasses over her eyes. Around the beret-wearing girl's neck was a burgundy scarf that matched her short and styled hair and the Beacon girls' uniform that all three present wore.

"Save the story for another time, yeah? Class is in a bit and I want to see the goods before I make a deal." The girl, Coco, crossed her arms over her ample bust as she stared down at Hanabi.

"Alright, alright," Hanabi said as she took a few quick glances to either side of the hallway before she reached into her brown jacket and pulled out three pictures that she showed to the girls. Each photo contained an image of her team's leader fresh out of the shower. One consisted of him with a white towel around his waist and steam from the hot water still wafting off of his body while he wiped off the mirror. One had been taken when his back was to the camera, though what made up for the face/chest shot was the revealed derriere, due to Naruto using his towel on his head to dry off. And the last photo was a tantalizing front shot of Naruto in the midst of wrapping the towel around his waist, concealing that portion of his anatomy most men treasured above all else.

The bunny-eared Faunus turned bright red and fainted dead on the spot once her eyes landed on the last one. Hanabi glanced at her and then at the other second-year student.

"Don't mind her. Velvet still can't handle it when our teammates go to bed shirtless. Poor dear, can't really appreciate what's right in front of her." The older student waved off the concern while she soaked in the images. "These are nice...how do I know they're not faked?"

Hanabi arched a brow. "I _just_ got to Beacon and joined up with Blue Boy not even two days ago. When would I have time or know how to fake these? Hell, I barely managed to print them without suspicion. Right now, those are the only three in the market."

"Really? One of a kind collection, hm?" The girl tapped her chin. "How much?"

"Twenty lien each."

The girl pursed her lips.

"Fifteen."

Hanabi narrowed her eyes behind her goggles.

"Twenty."

"...Fifteen and a half?"

"Twenty-one."

"Sixteen?"

" _Forty_."

"Fine, fine, twenty." The girl groaned and reached into her jacket to retrieve a wallet. Three cards of lien were pulled out and exchanged with Hanabi, who smiled as the older girl grumbled. "There goes this weekend's spree."

"Consider it a starting fee," Hanabi said with a small smirk. "As the year goes on and I get more customers, I'll charge less."

"...I do love a good deal..." The girl mused to herself. She smirked back at Hanabi. "Alright, newbie. You keep the goods coming and start lowering prices, and maybe you might have a loyal customer. Be sure to change it up every now and then, yeah? Don't just want fifty pictures of the same guy, right?"

"When the customers make more demands, I'll expand my horizon. For now, I've gotta sell what's hot," Hanabi said with a smirk. The older girl laughed and tucked her purchase into her jacket alongside her wallet before she hoisted the Faunus girl onto her shoulder. Hanabi waved the older girl off as she walked away. "A pleasure doing business with you, Coco!"

"And with you, Bishop!"

* * *

 **AN: Oh dear. And now Hanabi is selling pictures of boys to schoolgirls? Who else will she target? 'Til next time...**

 **When Captain Atlas throws his mighty shield...**

 **YEVIEW!**


	11. The Chapter Everyone's Expected

**This is the Author's Note all readers dread/hate, and for that, I apologize.**

 **You all inspire, create, demand, deliver, receive and adore so many ideas that one writer cannot capture or develop them all. Unfortunately, such is the case with this story, and for that, I apologize once more. I promised too much, and delivered too little.**

 **The original concept for this story was for Naruto Ironwood, son of the General (Super soldier, with a semblance that kept his body at the peak of human capabilities, both mentally and physically) to attend Beacon with hopes of escaping his father's shadow and the shadow of the Atlesian government. He would either make his way onto Team RWBY, work alone, basically something cliche and overdone.**

 **The story that ruined the concept I had originally included crafting a...Avengers-sort of knock off. Nora as Thor, Shikamaru as Stark, Choji as Hulk, TenTen as DumDum Dugan, Shino as Ant-Man, Tayuya as Widow, and well, I'm sure you can guess who "Lucky", Hanabi and Kiba were...These heroes, Defenders of Remnant I would've eventually called them, would have fought against public scrutiny against Huntsmen/Huntresses, Grimm, Politics and more to do what was right.**

 **Foes, I would have introduced include" Sasuke as Wonder Man (would turn good), Itachi as Vision (see Sasuke), Ultron as himself, a fem-Loki (we got fem-Thor in Nora), a mashup with the Guardians (oh yeah, they'd have come into play somehow), their foe the Accuser, and finally Fin Fang Foom.**

 **The planned pairing was for Weiss and Naruto to eventually become involved. A hint or smidge of flirting Yang/unnerved Naruto as well as playing on the ever popular Pyrrha/Naruto would possibly have come into play. Yang would flirt half-seriously and Naruto would be lost to it, Yang eventually becoming Weiss' lone rival (inner drama for Team RWBY), while Naruto and Pyrrha become friends, confidants, whose relationship would be misinterpreted by the students (gossip).**

 **While I personally feel that this story failed because I was too far lost in the lure of bringing forth Marvel characters with Naruto masks (and it is most likely true), some of you may feel otherwise. If that is the case...then I leave you with this.**

 **Take these concepts and use them to make a story of your own. My permission is given to all for these ideas, for I own NONE of the characters, setting or plot, just the ideas that brought them together.**

 **My one request, is that you acknowledge that - if the story you make does incorporate these ideas or morphs them or was inspired by them - they were originally mine. This failed story, this bastard of a brain child...I love it. Even though I cannot focus on it, it is my creation and part of my heart is in it. Please, I beg you, on hands and knees...acknowledge me as inspiration/originator, just once.**

 **In fact, acknowledge all sources of your inspiration. Be it a writer on this site, in this Pit we call home, or if its someone you know, someone on television, or a thought/event that belongs to another...acknowledge the thing that inspires you, just once.**

 **This is BonesBoy15, writer of The Pit, primarily focused on Naruto-crossovers, and I deem this story abandoned.**

 **Never Give Up.**

 **Thank you for reading.**


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